On antidepressant medication, it is possible that you might experience a sense of feeling numb and less like yourself. Though the symptoms of depression have decreased, there may be a sense that other emotional responses – laughing or crying, for example – are more difficult to experience.
Emotional blunting is also considered a potential side effect of antidepressants, in particular SSRI antidepressants, and has been reported in multiple case reports and clinical studies.
“Emotional blunting is a common side effect of SSRI antidepressants. In a way, this may be in part how they work–they take away some of the emotional pain that people who experience depression feel, but, unfortunately, it seems that they also take away some of the enjoyment.
The primary effect of SSRIs is reduced processing of negative stimuli rather than increased positive stimuli. Emotional blunting is related to SSRI dose,9,10 and possibly serotonergic effects on the frontal lobes and/or serotonergic modulation of midbrain dopaminergic systems projecting to the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
Emotional blunting can be temporary, lasting from a few minutes to a few hours at a time. It can also occur over the long term, from months to years. It all depends on the underlying cause. Experiencing emotional blunting may affect your relationships and how you feel about yourself and the world.
Scientists have worked out why common anti-depressants cause around a half of users to feel emotionally 'blunted'. In a study published today, they show that the drugs affect reinforcement learning, an important behavioural process that allows us to learn from our environment.
When first starting antidepressants, you may not feel like yourself. Though your depression symptoms might have improved, feelings of extreme sadness can sometimes be replaced by an emotional numbness in which you are neither able to cry nor enjoy a real belly laugh. If you feel this way, you are definitely not alone.
Widely used antidepressants cause “emotional blunting”, according to research that offers new insights into how the drugs may work and their possible side-effects.
For most people, antidepressants are the main cause of emotional blunting. In most cases, feelings of numbness go away when you stop taking the antidepressant that is causing you to feel this way. If you feel emotionally numb, it's important to tell your doctor.
A common complaint among men using antidepressants is delayed ejaculation or difficulty reaching orgasm. This because the SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors used in antidepressants influence the neurotransmitters in the brain, causing a delay in ejaculation.
Because empathy is partly a learned behavior, you may not be as empathetic if you didn't experience much empathy while growing up. Also, if you were alone much of the time, you may not have had the opportunity to practice empathy. This, too, can lead to a reduction of empathetic expression.
There's a paradoxical period when a person first starts an antidepressant: they may actually begin to feel worse before feeling better. The underlying cause of this phenomenon is a bit of a mystery, but a new study from researchers at Otto-von-Guericke University in Germany explains why this might occur.
Some side effects are serious. If you have any of these symptoms, tell your doctor right away: Thoughts about or attempts at suicide. More feelings of depression and anxiety.
People who use cocaine get less enjoyment out of social interactions and have less empathy for others, a new study indicates. After cannabis, cocaine is the most frequently used illegal drug worldwide, including throughout Europe.
Taking antidepressants may help to lift your mood. This can help you feel more able to do things that don't feel possible while you're depressed. This may include using other types of support for your mental health.
There is new reason to be cautious about using popular antidepressants in people who are not really depressed. For the first time, research has shown that a widely used antidepressant may cause subtle changes in brain structure and function when taken by those who are not depressed.
It may be hard to believe that antidepressants can cause depression, but it could be true. The very reason you take depression medication can sometimes make symptoms worse. Depression is a mood disorder that can cause feelings of sadness and lack of energy, among other symptoms.
When first starting antidepressants, some people have mild stomach upset, headache or fatigue, but these side effects often diminish in the first few weeks as the body adjusts. Some people gain weight, though many stay “weight neutral,” and some even lose weight, Dr. Cox says.
Dark empathy is characterized by emotional distance disguised as charm and understanding. It is usually motivated by personal gain. Dark empathy is related to the dark triad personality traits. The dark triad refers to the malevolent personality types of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy.
Difficulty in regulating emotions can be a symptom of a mental health problem. You may be experiencing depression, social anxiety, and borderline personality disorder. If you develop social anxiety because of low EQ, you become stressed out about social interactions.
So, yes, feeling anxiety can reduce empathy. But not always, and not in all people, and stress does not necessarily reduce all kinds of empathy equally. This is all of a piece of the larger questions we grapple with here at the Greater Good Science Center.
Arousal Cream, which may also go by the name of Scream Cream, is a topical cream that, when applied to the clitoris and/or external genitalia, can increase blood flow to the applied area and has been reported to improve sensitivity and rates of orgasm.
Sexual dysfunction is one of the most common side effects of SSRIs. Although symptoms of hyposexuality, such as erectile dysfunction, anorgasmia, and delayed ejaculation, are well recognized, hypersexuality as a potential side effect is less understood but important for providers to identify and manage.