Emotional Blunting and Depression | Symptom or Side Effect?

Emotional Blunting and Depression | Symptom or Side Effect? – MM1609

When treating a patient for depression, doctors need to provide relief from the depressive symptoms, restore functioning, enhance quality of life and develop relapse prevention strategies. The main focus is on the reduction of depression symptoms. Emotional blunting, or the inability to experience usual emotions can be a side effect of many antidepressants. This emotional blunting can have a profound impact on the patient’s quality of life. It needs to be distinguished from residual depressive symptoms and if distressing the patient, may warrant a change of treatment.

Modern Medicine – September 2016