While some researchers have indeed attributed improved symptoms associated with depression to personality changes, other experts have been skeptical that drugs such as SSRIs have independent effects on personality. They attribute changes to a patient's improved mood.
While there is limited research on long-term antidepressant treatment, the antidepressant medications are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the world, and there is substantial experience. Evidence indicates that these medications cause changes that persist only as long as medications are taken.
When the researchers looked at all the study participants, they found that those taking SSRIs were more likely to say they felt less at ease with sharing their partners' thoughts and feelings, and less wishful that their love for their partner would last forever since they started taking their medication, compared with ...
Dissociative experiences refer to unusual changes in perception and feelings, often involving a sense of detachment. Antidepressants can cause a number of dissociative experiences including: Amnesia. Déjà vu.
The findings which we have reviewed indicate that antidepressants can produce rapid changes in the processing of emotional information. Both acute and short-term SSRI treatment lead to positive biases in emotional perception and memory, that is, the opposite effects to those seen in the depressed state.
After three months of antidepressant treatment, the research revealed relevant differences: patients reported their level of empathy to be lower, and brain activation was reduced in areas previously associated with empathy.
Antidepressants played a role as well.
Twins who were on prescription antidepressants were perceived as significantly older, possibly due to the consistent relaxation of facial muscles that occurs with antidepressant usage. This relaxation can lead to facial sagging, creating an older appearance.
People experiencing this side effect often describe themselves as feeling “flat” or “detached,” or having “dull” emotions. Other terms for emotional blunting include emotional indifference, diminished emotional responsiveness, and reduced emotional sensitivity.
In time, the brain readjusts and people should experience a return to their normal state. If depressive symptoms do arise and gradually worsen, it's best to consult a psychiatrist or doctor, if they don't improve within a few weeks or if they become severe.
Many experts believe that SSRIs and SNRIs can cause dulled emotions because they interact with your serotonin levels.
Today millions of people take serotonin-enhancing antidepressants. These medications cause emotional blunting and dysfunction in sexual desire, arousal and orgasm in both men and women. We propose that these antidepressants have other side effects, due to their impact on several related neural mechanisms.
While antidepressants often help people with depressive disorder manage their symptoms, new research shows that the use of these drugs is not associated with improved quality of life in the long term.
Do I have to take antidepressants forever is a question that some ask as they struggle with depression. This is one of the more common myths associated with the condition. You do not need to take antidepressants forever nor do you need to get a prescription from a counselor or therapist.
Antidepressants reduce symptoms of depression by balancing chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters, which affect mood and emotions, particularly dopamine and serotonin. These depression medications can improve your mood, concentration, sleep, and increase your appetite.
The length of treatment varies.
Even once you do start to feel better, you should expect to remain on your antidepressant for at least 4 to 6 additional months. Those experiencing depression for the first time may require even longer, from 6 to 12 months.
If you decrease your daily calorie intake as a result, you could potentially lose weight by stopping your antidepressants. On the other hand, if you experience loss of appetite with depression, and your depression comes back after stopping antidepressants, you may also lose weight.
A depression not only makes a person feel sad and dejected – it can also damage the brain permanently, so the person has difficulties remembering and concentrating once the disease is over. Up to 20 percent of depression patients never make a full recovery.
The few studies of antidepressant withdrawal that have been published suggest that it is harder to get off some medications than others. This is due to differences in the drugs' half-life — the time it takes the body to clear the medication once the pills are stopped.
Nearly half of patients on all types of monoaminergic antidepressants report emotional blunting,6 and it is associated with serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy as follows: among 161 patients, 46% reported a narrowed range of affect, 21% reported an inability to cry, and 19% reported apathy.
Symptoms of emotional detachment
People who are emotionally detached or removed may experience symptoms such as: difficulty creating or maintaining personal relationships. a lack of attention, or appearing preoccupied when around others. difficulty being loving or affectionate with a family member.
The majority of people taking the most commonly prescribed antidepressants—selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)—improve substantially. But sometimes, SSRIs go beyond improving mood and make a person feel too little emotion. "Some people feel like they've lost the richness of daily life," says Dr.
Antidepressants don't just treat depression–they can make us more sociable, too. A new you.
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.
They will help you feel like yourself again and return to your previous level of functioning. (If a person who isn't depressed takes antidepressants, they do not improve that person's mood or functioning - it's not a "happy pill.") Rarely, people experience apathy or loss of emotions while on certain antidepressants.
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.