Understanding Anhedonia: Restoring Motivation and Joy in Mental Health Treatment

Anhedonia—the inability to experience pleasure or connection—is a key symptom across multiple psychiatric disorders. In this video, Dr. Sanil Rege, consultant psychiatrist, offers a comprehensive exploration of anhedonia’s neurobiology, focusing on dysfunction within the prefrontal cortex, ventral striatum, and dopaminergic pathways. He examines its clinical subtypes—motivational, consummatory, and incentive—and clarifies the distinction between trait and state anhedonia, as well as pervasive vs. selective presentations.

Clinical assessment is detailed using the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS), alongside a transdiagnostic perspective that spans depression, schizophrenia, and PTSD. Treatment strategies include pharmacological agents such as Bupropion and Vortioxetine, neuromodulation, behavioral activation, CBT, and mindfulness-based therapies. Emphasizing the brain’s neuroplasticity, the presentation equips clinicians with practical tools to restore emotional engagement and improve patient outcomes.