The Evidence for Personality Changes Study authors suggested that the SSRI may have altered two key personality traits linked to depression—neuroticism and extroversion—independently of their effect on depression symptoms.
A 2016 review of over 70 trials found an increase in self-harm and aggression in children and adolescents taking SSRIs but not in adults. Another 2016 review of over 5,000 publications found that use of SSRIs in adults might increase the chance of self-harm or violence toward others.
Some antidepressants can also cause feelings of agitation, restlessness and detachment. These feelings may resemble symptoms of anxiety and may add to, rather than relieve, feelings of hopelessness and despair. Some people may become suicidal or violent.
One of the widely-reported side effects of SSRIs is 'blunting', where patients report feeling emotionally dull and no longer finding things as pleasurable as they used to. Between 40-60% of patients taking SSRIs are believed to experience this side effect.
There are many different types of anxiety medications, including benzodiazepines, beta blockers, and antidepressants. While taking these medications, you may experience less anxiety and panic. They can also help improve your mood, sleep, and energy levels.
These include methamphetamine, MDMA (ecstasy or Molly), LSD, and certain prescription medications. When taken in large doses, these substances can alter your mood, behavior, and even your identity. In some cases, long-term use of such drugs can result in permanent changes to one's personality.
Research has indicated that individuals with high emotional reactivity (high neuroticism) and introverted tendencies (low extroversion) are more likely to experience anxiety than other personality types [101].
About half of users who take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) report a sense of emotional blunting, a psychic flatness that limits their emotional range, particularly their ability to experience positive feelings like pleasure and joy.
As it is with any medication, antidepressants can have side effects, including the possibility of what is termed “emotional blunting.” According to studies, nearly half of people taking antidepressants at some point experience emotional blunting from antidepressants.
The “blunting of emotions” is frequently mentioned by patients taking SSRIs for long periods who report that, although they feel less emotional pain than before, they also experience a restricted range of other emotions that are a normal part of everyday life (Barnhart et al.
It's usually recommended that a course of antidepressants continues for at least 6 months after you feel better, to prevent your condition recurring when you stop. Some people with recurrent illness are advised to carry on taking medicine indefinitely.
During long-term SSRI therapy, the most troubling adverse effects are sexual dysfunction, weight gain, and sleep disturbance.
They most likely result from decreased production of serotonin—the neurotransmitter that SSRIs increase in the brain—which can lead to aggression, says psychiatrist Steven P. Levine, M.D.
The two most dangerous drugs of all 48 studied were the tricyclic amitriptyline (morbidity index of 345/1,000 and mortality index of 3.8/1,000) and lithium (325/1,000 and 1.3/1,000).
Your Mood or Energy Improve Too Much
If you're taking antidepressant medication and you either feel unusually elated, or you become very terse with your loved ones, feel noticeably more irritable, or have an uncharacteristic bout of rage, then it's likely that your antidepressant dose is too high.
Unfortunately, dopamine is also responsible for the feelings of elation and ecstasy that accompany falling in love. By suppressing dopamine, Fisher argues, drugs like Prozac block your ability to have these feelings, thus making it harder to fall in love and stay in love.
Antidepressant drugs, already known to cause sexual side effects, may also suppress the basic human emotions of love and romance. That SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors — the most common type of antidepressant — cause sexual dysfunction is common knowledge.
Derealisation refers to a similar set of feelings and perceptions, but in this case it is the world itself that seems strange or unreal; everything may seem far away or staged in some way – as though life is being watched rather than lived. Depersonalisation and derealisation are relatively common on antidepressants.
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.
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.
INFP and INFJ: The Overthinkers
When it comes to these types, their anxiety can stem from an inclination to overthinking. Psychology Today defines overthinking as “an excessive tendency to monitor, evaluate, and attempt to control all types of thought,” something this INFJ knows all too well.
Neuroticism. Neuroticism is a personality trait related to negative emotional states and is highly associated with several anxiety disorders, including various phobias, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and generalized anxiety disorder.
ISTPs are the least intense personality type. They are cool, calm, and collected individuals. They are not likely to get wrapped up in their own thoughts and emotions or dwell on things that have happened in the past. ISTPs prefer to focus on what is happening right now and on practical matters.