The ADHD Adults Podcast Episode 139 ADHD and Anhedonia
Nov 13, 2023
This podcast explores the concept of anhedonia and its connection with ADHD, including potential interventions. The hosts also share their personal struggles with finding happiness and discuss the importance of emotional acceptance and contentment.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Anhedonia Reflects Reward-System Dysfunction
- Anhedonia is a reduced ability to experience pleasure, linked to deficits in reward anticipation and consumption.
- Research ties anhedonia to reward-system dysfunction and common psychiatric conditions like depression and schizophrenia.
Anhedonia's Clinical Overlap And Diagnostic Limits
- Anhedonia strongly overlaps with depression and predicts poorer antidepressant response for some people.
- Diagnosis is variable and uses interviews, self-report, behavioral tests, and physiological measures.
Substance Use Can Cause Reversible Anhedonia
- Substance dependence commonly produces anhedonia, which often improves with abstinence.
- Early therapeutic approaches like Positive Affect Treatment (PAT) target reward sensitivity deficits but remain experimental.