Have you noticed you’ve been feeling detached or emotionally numb for more than a few days? Or has a loved one been quieter than usual and wearing a blank expression most of the time? Emotional blunting is a state of not feeling and not expressing emotions. There is some variation in the ways different people experience it. Often, it takes a toll on your quality of life. Sometimes it can be an indicator of a more serious problem.
Thoughts of suicide or death can be connected with emotional blunting. If you or a loved one is in danger, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.
Emotional blunting can be related to antidepressant medication, but people who’ve never taken antidepressants can experience it as well. It can also be a side effect of antipsychotics or mood stabilizers as well as a symptom of other neurological and psychiatric conditions. It can happen to anyone at any age. The good news is that there’s almost always a treatment or an intervention that can help.
Learning about the symptoms you or your loved one is experiencing is an important step. Keep reading for more about what emotional blunting looks and feels like — and what treatments can help.
What is emotional blunting?
Emotional blunting can describe a feeling you have or an affect that other people would notice. In psychology, affect usually refers to the feeling and outward expression of various emotions. Anhedonia is a similar term that describes an inability to feel pleasure, whereas emotional blunting covers a wider range of numbness. But emotional blunting is more than a passing mood. It’s an ongoing symptom that can affect your relationships with yourself and others. You may feel disengaged and unable to feel a connection. Forgetfulness, loss of interest in things you enjoy and a lack of motivation can all go along with emotional blunting.
In some cases, an individual may not be aware that they’re experiencing this. Others may notice them withdrawing from social situations. They might speak in a monotone, lack facial expression or not respond to social cues. When it overlaps with other mental health symptoms, emotional blunting can sometimes be missed or complicate the person’s diagnosis and treatment. Identifying emotional blunting in these situations is an important way to ensure that people get the treatment they need. It can be a sign of a more serious condition, so it’s important to seek treatment for emotional blunting.
What does emotional blunting feel like?
Emotional blunting can feel like emptiness, indifference or detachment. When you have choices to make, or when someone asks for your opinion, you may not have any answers that come to mind. Or you may feel only limited happiness or sadness in situations when you would usually have a bigger emotional response.
When you’re experiencing emotional blunting, you may feel like you’re pretending or just going through the motions. Some people live with emotional blunting for a long time because they don’t want to admit that it’s real, and they develop skills to keep it hidden. Getting a clear understanding of your feelings — or lack of feelings — is the first step toward finding a solution.
Symptoms of emotional blunting can include:
- Inability to connect with your own emotions or those of others
- Not caring about activities, causes or relationships you once found important
- Being unable to enjoy activities that were once pleasurable
- Lack of interest or difficulty with social situations
- Feeling disconnected from your mind, your body or the world around you
- Being unable to cry
- Difficulty concentrating or restlessness
- Difficulty speaking
- Feeling unmotivated or fatigued
- Forgetfulness
What conditions include emotional blunting as a symptom?
Emotional blunting can be related to a stage of life that you’re going through, or it can be a symptom of another condition. Feeling high amounts of stress or being stressed for a long period of time can cause a period of emotional numbness. This usually resolves with rest, self-care and more positive experiences.
Emotional blunting has been widely observed in people with depression, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Early detection of these conditions leads to better treatment outcomes. Some people may engage in reckless behavior or self-harm while experiencing emotional blunting as an attempt to feel something. These are all important reasons to see a licensed clinician.
There’s some evidence that antidepressant medications can cause emotional blunting. This is based on individuals self-reporting, though it may be because of their effect on serotonin levels, which can overly stabilize emotions. Many times, people aren’t sure whether it’s their medication or life changes causing their symptoms. It’s also possible that emotional blunting could be a residual symptom of depression in cases where treatments are insufficient. With no clinical standard definition or measurement, this is hard to study.
How can I start feeling like myself again?
The best course of treatment for emotional blunting will depend on what’s going on in your life and what your specific symptoms look and feel like. Talking with a friend, taking care of your health and trying to reconnect with activities you enjoy are good places to start. If you can’t shake your numbness with a little help from your friends, you should see a licensed clinician or a therapist.
In cases where emotional blunting is seriously affecting a person’s life, or when it doesn’t go away with some self-care and therapy, a higher level of care may be needed. Finding the appropriate level of treatment begins with an assessment. After you talk through a series of questions with a licensed professional, they’ll give you an opinion about a possible diagnosis and their treatment recommendation. At Lightfully, we provide free assessments to prospective clients.
Feeling hopeless can be a symptom of emotional blunting, but it’s very likely that there’s a treatment that can help you start feeling like yourself again. We’d like to help you find it.
Feel free to join us for the free online support group we hold each Friday. If you have any questions about your symptoms or navigating treatment, please contact us.
