Anhedonia does often go away and is rarely permanent.
Anhedonia can go away or improve significantly as long as you get proper treatment.
The condition anhedonia is a treatable symptom and not a fixed trait and recovery from anhedonia is possible through therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Medications like antidepressants and through changes in your lifestyle and also addressing the underlying conditions that cause the anhedonia like addition or depression.
The supplements that help with anhedonia are Tyrosine, Magnesium, B Vitamins including B6, B12, Folate as well as Vitamin D, Saffron and Rhodiola Rosea.
Even Omega 3 fatty acids and probiotics also help to alleviate depressive symptoms and improve mood regulation.
Tyrosine is a crucial precursor to dopamine and Vitamin B6, B9, "folate" B12 and Vitamin D are essential for synthesizing neurotransmitters regulate mood.
Rhodiola Rosea promotes relaxation, manages stress and increases dopamine activity and Saffron Extract improves depressed mood and anhedonia and even L-Theanine aids in relaxation without drowsiness and Velvet Bean or Mucuna Pruriens contain L-dopa, which stimulates dopamine production, but it should be used with caution.
The best medication for anhedonia is Agomelatine, which is an melatonergic agonist and serotonin receptor antagonist which improves anhedonia, sexual dysfunction and sleep quality.
Other good medications for anhedonia are ketamine, Wellbutrin, Pramipexole, Vortoxetine and Auvelity.
Auvelity is newer fast acting antidepressant that targets NMDA receptors and dopamine.
Vortioxetine is a multimodal antidepressant which may be more effective for anhedonia when compared to traditional SSRIs.
Pramipexole is a dopamine agonist which has shown effectiveness in reducing anhedonic symptoms.
Wellbutrin is a dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor which can help to increase energy and motivation.
Ketamine is an NMDA receptor antagonist that provides rapid anti-anhedonic effects and is often used in treatment resistant depression.
You can fix anhedonia through use of medications like Wellbutrin as well as through therapy and by intentionally engaging in hobbies, activities and social interactions even when you're not feeling motivated to do so.
To fix anhedonia and treat anhedonia yourself start off by creating a daily and low pressure routine with small, manageable tasks and prioritize exercise as well as practice mindfulness to then slowly reconnect with feelings of enjoyment.
The most effective approach in treating anhedonia yourself is to do activities that you used to enjoy like walking, visiting a cafe, fishing, swimming, camping, listening to music etc, even if these activities feel dull at first.
And don't wait for the motivation or the joy to return before taking action, and instead engage in the activities and create the opportunity for the pleasure to return later.
And structure your day using a mix of necessary tasks and ideally even one or two small activities that are pleasurable.
Physical activity is also a great way of boosting your mood and increasing dopamine levels and socializing with friends or family even if you feel like withdrawing can help with anhedonia.
Anhedonia is not brain damage, especially in the sense of any physical brain tissue destruction, although anhedonia can occur after a traumatic brain injury.
Instead of brain damage, anhedonia is a functional and often also reversible, disruption in your brain's reward system, which specifically involves dopamine pathways and areas your prefrontal cortex as well as the ventral striatum.
Anhedonia, while it does involve altered brain chemistry and function it is not considered brain damage itself.
Because anhedonia is often functional, the brain can rewire itself, and motivation as well as pleasure turn with the proper treatment, like through therapy, medication and lifestyle changes.
Anhedonia is a symptom of conditions like major depression, trauma or even schizophrenia and not just an inherent structural defect and imaging also shows reduced volume in the brains reward areas like nucleus accumbens and altered but not necessarily damaged connectivity between the brain regions and it's linked to reduced dopamine function that is involved in the drive and reward functions and serotonin balances.
In anhedonia, the brain's capacity to process anticipation, motivation and pleasure is also diminished.
If anhedonia is left untreated it can lead to severe and long term issues including intense social isolation, high risk of suicidal ideation, and deepened depression.
Untreated anhedonia creates a vicious cycle of worsening mental health and physical health, withdrawal, reduced motivation as well as chronic and strained relationships.
Left untreated, anhedonia often progresses into severe, major depressive disorder that is resistant to treatment, anxiety disorders as well as possible bipolar disorder.
And as a result of a lack of interest, people with untreated anhedonia and even when treated, often withdraw from family and friends, which results in deep and persistent loneliness and strained or even destroyed relationships.
And the lack of motivation with anhedonia can also result in neglecting self care, which can result in poor nutrition, chronic fatigue and significant weight changes, which can include weight loss.
And with untreated anhedonia life can begin to feel meaningless, completely empty or even grey, which can lead to a person feeling trapped in a hopeless state and the inability of a person with anhedonia to feel joy or purpose that persists can result in the person developing thoughts of suicide.
Anhedonia requires targeted treatment, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or specialized medications as Anhedonia often involves changes in brain chemistry, like lower dopamine levels.
The signs and symptoms of anhedonia include lack of motivation, social withdrawal, emotional numbness, persistent fatigue and reduced libido.
People that have anhedonia often also describe life as feeling muted or numb or in black and white.
The key behavioral and emotional signs of anhedonia are loss of interest and pleasure in hobbies and socializing, or eating of favorite foods no longer bring the person joy.
And social withdrawal like avoiding family, avoiding friends and social gatherings or losing interest in romantic relationships and reduced motivation and having a "meh" attitude toward life and having trouble starting tasks or feeling no desire to pursue goals and feeling dead inside or having a facial expression or body language which does not reflect any emotion.
Fatigue, low energy, sleep disturbances, like sleeping too much or sleeping too little are also signs of anhedonia.
People with anhedonia can still feel love and even care for other people.
While people with anhedonia may struggle to experience the warmth, pleasure or emotional high that is often associated with love they can still feel the love and care about others.
Anhedonia mainly disrupts a person's brain's reward system, which lead to emotional numbness, although it doesn't erase the cognitive or deep seated value that a person places on relationships.
Love is also a decision and while the feeling of love or excitement euphoria may be absent in people with anhedonia, people with anhedonia often retain the capacity for love as a conscious decision and maintain commitments to partners, family and friends.
Anhedonia can also cause a feeling of being broken or even emotionally distant, where one might not feel the joy of being with loved ones, although still care deeply about their well being.