Loss of Interest

I am not sure what it is... I seem to lack interest in everything lately.

Shows hardly interest me anymore. The movies I like I've seen a million times, and nothing else holds my interest or is disappointing. I have trouble following through when it comes to activities. I don't have many friends anymore, but I have minimal interest in socializing, although the idea of having a few people in my life sounds good in theory. Writing is a hobby, but I've lost inspiration. I have a job. But when I do work, I lack interest and feel that it takes all the energy in the world to do my job, so that in itself is stressful and unfulfilling.

For those of you who feel/felt this way, what has been helpful when it comes to coping with this? It would be nice to have even a little bit of joy in my life. It is getting more and more depressing that I just don't know what to do with myself anymore.

Hi xRavenx. I can't know exactly what your situation is, but it sounds like "anhedonia". It is common for many people to experience anhedonia with certain mood episodes, especially depression. I have even experienced it during sub-threshold depressions. I have read, and think I also experienced (in the past) anhedonia even as a result of over-sedation from certain medications, or perhaps even a side effect. I will say that anhedonia has not been common for me in my life. I've only experienced it during certain periods. It eased slowly, and other times went away quickly. In fact, sometimes I experience the polar opposite of anhedonia.

I hope whatever is causing your lack of interest in things eases quickly. I guess if I was in your shoes, I would have a talk with both my psychiatrist and therapist about such a lack of interest. That's just what I'd do. I'm not saying that's what you should do. I mentioned therapist, as well as psychiatrist, because I believe therapeutic intervention has been helpful for me, to various degrees, during periods of anhedonia. I happen to be a believer that therapy and medications are more effective than only one alone, but I am sure that's not the case for everyone.

Though I'm sure it doesn't work for all people, in all cases, I have found that pushing myself to do things gradually has been helpful. I went through a long period of not listening to music. I always loved music. I started by just doing so in my car, little by little. It eventually felt a bit good. My music listening enjoyment increased again from there. Sometimes I needed something totally new to spark some interest. My blog developed from that. Now I rarely write in my blog, but do other things.

Thanks, Bird Dancer. I definitely think it is anhedonia. I am in the process of trying to find a new therapist, since I started with someone new who I wasn't that comfortable with. My old therapist was great, but she no longer takes my insurance, and money is an issue. I see my pdoc in approximately 2 weeks and suspect that this problem could be the result of my medications being off and due to depression. I definitely need to push myself, although it takes a lot of energy to do so. I just hope this doesn't last for much longer, so that things can spark my interest the way that they used to.