Functional recovery is therefore an important treatment goal in patients with depression [4,5,6,7]. Networks of major depressive disorder: a systematic review. But with the right information and support, you can make the best, Take the first step in feeling better. Numbing of positive, negative, and general emotions: Associations with trauma exposure, post-traumatic stress, and depressive symptoms among justice‐involved youth. Use of an internet-based survey enables the acquisition of a large sample size across different countries over a short period of time and facilitates the collection of data across a relatively large number of variables, permitting detection of cross-sectional response patterns among patient groups. (2019). Justin Bieber swears by it for processing trauma, but does havening actually work? Its vital to give yourself grace as you look for the right solution. Some ideas include: If youre experiencing emotional blunting, its not your fault. Comparisons were performed using t tests for continuous measures and Ztests for proportions; significance was set at p<0.05. Read on to learn more about how emotional blunting feels, what causes it, and what treatments are available. Mean ODQ total score was 94.8 for patients in the acute phase of depression and 85.7 for those in remission (difference, p<0.01). You can use these tips. Functional recovery in major depressive disorder: focus on early optimized treatment. These are described here along with strategies to help patients cope. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 19902017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Most doctors will recommend another antidepressant that doesnt influence serotonin if you complain of emotional numbing, says Kannon. Terms and Conditions, Depression is not a consistent syndrome: an investigation of unique symptom patterns in the STAR*D study. 'I Have the Shakes'. In summary, our findings provide new insights into the severity and perceived causes of emotional blunting in patients with depression in both the acute and remission phases of the disease. Mean (SD) ODQ total score was significantly higher in patients who reported a history of addiction (93.3 [17.7] vs 88.3 [18.3] in those with no history of addiction; p<0.01) and in patients who reported having experienced any severe trauma (90.1 [18.3] vs 83.9 [17.3] in those who did not; p<0.01). 2015;27(2):1429. Sheehan DV, Nakagome K, Asami Y, Pappadopulos EA, Boucher M. Restoring function in major depressive disorder: a systematic review. government site. Emotional blunting is frequently reported by patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and has been identified as one of the most prominent side effects of antidepressants leading to medication discontinuation. If your emotional blunting is caused by a mental health condition like depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, or BPD, talk therapy may help. Last medically reviewed on April 22, 2022. A 2017 internet-based survey found that only 33% of people experienced emotional blunting while on Wellbutrin, compared with 75% who reported emotional blunting while taking Cymbalta, a common SSRI. Extremely severe emotional blunting was reported by 72% of patients in the acute phase compared with 25% of those who were in remission (p<0.01). While anhedonia was more commonly reported in patients in the acute phase of depression than in those in remission in the present study, just over half of patients who were considered to be in remission continued to report this symptom. and transmitted securely. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. feeling disconnected from mind and/or body. Cite this article. Epub 2009 Nov 25. There are a variety of possible causes. With the right treatment and a little time, its possible to keep emotional blunting at bay. One of the symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is dissociation, which can cause you to feel disconnected from your sense of self, including your emotions. Oluboka OJ, Katzman MA, Habert J, et al. Higher doses are more likely to cause emotional numbing, explains Majid Talebi, a psychiatric pharmacist specialist in Santa Clara. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2013. Another possibility is that emotional blunting represents a residual depressive symptom. Some potential treatment options a mental healthcare professional might recommend include: While emotional blunting and its causes should be treated by a licensed mental healthcare professional, theres plenty that you can do on your own to help find relief from emotional blunting. Price J, Cole V, Goodwin GM. 2023 BioMed Central Ltd unless otherwise stated. 2021;17:29953006. I felt pretty OK at first, I didn't think about dying as much. Bernstein DP, Fink L, Handelsman L, et al. Most patients were receiving treatment with SSRIs or SNRIs, most commonly fluoxetine (26% overall; 29% in the acute phase group and 25% in the remission phase group). Can J Psychiatry. On the other hand, although limited, the available . Before 2010;7(10):148. The mean (SD) ODQ total score was significantly higher in men than women (93.5 [16.1] vs 86.8 [19.1] points, respectively; p<0.01). Volume 31 Issue 7 Most, if not all, antidepressants can cause bothersome adverse effects. There are ways music and studying can work together, and some ways they, If youre considering meeting with a psychiatrist but prefer remote visits, online psychiatry may be right for you. However, there is a paucity of studies comprehensively investigating this symptom and its functional impact. 2). 1. Although everyone is different and these reactions may be a result of many factors, they could also point to something else: emotional blunting. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. J Clin Psychiatry. Only 6% of patients in the acute phase of depression and 10% of those in remission considered their emotional blunting to be due to their antidepressant medication alone. With this symptom, you may also have difficulty accessing the full range of emotions that youre used to. PubMed Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. Hewett K, Gee MD, Krishen A, Wunderlich HP, Le Clus A, Evoniuk G, Modell JG. volume21, Articlenumber:10 (2022) The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The proportions of patients agreeing with each statement in the antidepressant as cause domain were similar in the acute and remission phase groups (Table 3). Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. Treating Depression: What Are My Options? (2020). Emotional blunting in patients with depression. Emotional contagion refers to the phenomenon of "catching" someone else's emotional state the way you would a contagious illness. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2014.16.2/rcohen. A random selection of potential participants were identified from Kantars online panel of consumers and invited to participate. Annals of General Psychiatry I felt very clear and upbeat with improved focus in the morning. In another recent study undertaken to explore patients lived experiences of depression and their expectations for antidepressant therapy, the most frequent symptoms reported were fatigue (mentioned by 59% of respondents), lack of motivation/loss of interest (52%), anxiety/panic (45%), sadness (41%), and lack of concentration/brain fog (41%) [26]. Medical writing assistance and editorial support was provided by Jennifer Coward and Julie Ponting of Piper Medical Communications, funded by H. Lundbeck A/S. Whens the Right Time to Stop an Antidepressant? The Oxford Questionnaire on the Emotional Side-effects of Antidepressants (OQuESA): development, validity, reliability and sensitivity to change. it wasn't like I didn't have feelings at all, they just felt so mute and dull. Ostergaard SD, Jensen SO, Bech P. The heterogeneity of the depressive syndrome: when numbers get serious. Respondents were rewarded for their participation in the study. All rights reserved. statement and These findings are in line with the results of a previous online survey undertaken to identify determinants of treatment effectiveness and tolerability in patients with MDD or bipolar disorder; in that study, emotional blunting was found to be a common treatment-emergent adverse event, leading to discontinuation of antidepressant medication in more than one-third of respondents [15]. Emotional blunting in patients with depression. Validity and reliability of the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) in bipolar disorder. Sansone RA, Sansone LA. In this case, you can expect to see some improvement within 4 to 6 weeks, as the medication adjusts in your system. Respondents were asked which of a list of symptoms they had experienced during their current phase of depression (including emotional blunting), and were asked to rate the severity of the symptoms experienced on a scale of 1 (not at all severe) to 7 (extremely severe). Whether youre thinking of changing your medication or your lifestyle, help is available, and hope is on the horizon. The study was conducted in accordance with the European Pharmaceutical Market Research Association (EphMRA) code of conduct, which ensures respondent confidentiality, and adhered to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and all local market laws regarding data protection. The rate of emotional blunting in treated depressed patients was 46%, slightly more frequent in men than women (52% versus 44%) and in those with higher Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale scores. We'll explore common examples and give you tips for resolving mental conflicts. Finally, due to the cross-sectional study design, any causal inferences should be interpreted with caution. This can include psychiatric prescriptions, substance use, and having certain mental health disorders. (2018). This international survey investigated the experience of emotional blunting in the acute and remission phases of depression from the perspective of patients and healthcare providers. BMC Psychiatry. Craft LL, et al. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal You wish you were laughing too, but you just dont share that same sense of giddiness at least not anymore. Managing antidepressant adverse effects Primum non nocere -Hippocratic Oath (2017). Kerig PK, et al. Emotional blunting is also a side effect of many antidepressants. Apathy and emotional blunting have a significant overlap with depressive symptoms in the instruments usually used (Marin et al. ): development, validity, reliability and sensitivity to change investigation of unique symptom in... Annals of General Psychiatry I felt very clear and upbeat with improved focus in instruments. 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