Anhedonia - the inability or failure to experience pleasure - is a common characteristic in drug addiction. One theory is that the drugs raise the brain's threshold for feeling pleasure so that, for example, a cup of tea and a couple of chocolate biscuits no longer have the same effect, and that this threshold does not return to normal even after people have given up taking drugs. A study of 52 people by researchers at the University of Melbourne compared 33 people being treated for heroin addiction with 19 healthy controls. Participants were shown pictures of pleasant stimuli and drug-related stimuli and their reactions to them were measured using a range of physiological methods. The heroin users demonstrated a reduced responsiveness to the pleasant stimuli and an increased response to the drug-related stimuli. How the drug users reacted to the stimuli was a significant predictor of heroin use at a six-month follow-up.
Lubman, Dan I. ... [et al] - Responsiveness to drug cues and natural rewards in opiate addiction Archives of General Psychiatry February 2009, 66(2), 205-213
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4 comments:
Thanks for this. I will put a link to the Life Works blog on my site.
Best Wishes,
John
Now it is time for us to be responsive against drug abuses and
should join hands to save humanity from the fatal outcome of drugs.
People find their loving ones in the grip of pain and restlessness.
There are certain centers which provide treatments concerning drugs
And they are lending their hands in saving humanity.
Adam
Drug Treatment
Drug Treatment
Nice post. In addition, there is almost always some form of accompanying problem along the depression/anxiety axis. I think the anhedonia precedes or is coincident with the addiction, rather than being caused by the addiction. Addictive drugs are one way to self-medicate chronic anhedonia--depression and addiction are so often found together.
Thanks Dirk. Yes, I am sure this is one of those chicken-and-egg issues where the anhedonia leads to self-medication which then makes the original problem worse.
Best Wishes,
John
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