What Is Anergia In Mental Health?
Anergia can result from a variety of underlying conditions, but there are effective anergia treatments available. Below, we’ll discuss anergia, conditions that can cause anergia, and treatment options to help restore your energy levels after an anergia diagnosis.
Anergia: A lack of energy
While many people have days where they feel lethargic, anergia occurs when this lethargic state becomes chronic. In addition to having low energy levels, people living with anergia may experience maladaptive thinking, insomnia, or loss of interest in activities they once enjoyed.
Due to constant fatigue, some people with anergia may have difficulty completing even the simplest of tasks. Individuals around those with anergia may mistakenly think they are apathetic toward jobs, activities, and social life. However, people with anergia may simply be unable to engage in normal activities because of anergia.
Depression and anergia
Sometimes, those living with anergic depression may also experience anergia. Some people with depression may feel there is no reason to get out of bed, and they may lack the physical energy to do so. Often, those with anergic depression become uninterested in what previously brought them joy in life.
Sometimes, anergia may be used to help in the diagnosis of depression. For an official diagnosis, a certain number of negative symptoms need to be present, and anergia can count as one. While anergia and depression can have some common symptoms, anergia doesn’t necessarily mean you have depression. If you are experiencing symptoms of depression and often feel fatigued, you may benefit from speaking to a doctor or psychologist about your symptoms of anergia.
Several conditions have been linked to anergia, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and narcolepsy, a chronic sleep disorder. Anergia can be a symptom of dysthymia as well, which is a milder form of depression. Anergia has been shown to be long-lasting in many patients. Even when symptoms of these disorders are not as severe, anergia can persist and affect people’s lives in several ways.
There are also specific health problems that may result in anergia. Many heart conditions can cause anergia. One study published in the American Journal of Cardiology found that anergia was common among patients with post-acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
Anemia, a lack of sufficient healthy red blood cells, frequently induces an anergic state, as does chronic fatigue syndrome. Also, if the thyroid is incapable of producing enough thyroid hormone—a condition that is referred to as hypothyroidism— anergia symptoms may arise.
From time to time, certain medications can also lead to anergia. Depending on how crucial that medication is in a person’s health regimen, they may have to find another treatment for anergia instead of simply stopping the drug. Antidepressants often cause anergia but can usually be swapped for an equally effective medication that won't cause the same anergic effect.
Occasionally, a substance use disorder also produces anergia. For some, anergia is developed while taking the substance, while others experience anergia during withdrawal.
Possible effects of lack of energy on physical and mental health
The chronic lethargy of anergia can be debilitating for those who experience it, and not only in their mental health. When faced with an inability to summon the energy to perform daily tasks, or anergia, some people may experience symptoms of depression. Friends and family may not understand anergia, which can lead to further anxiety and depression. Due to intense fatigue, it can be difficult for those with anergia to perform well within their occupations, which can lead to financial stress if they lose their job due to anergic symptoms. Anergia can also take a toll on a person's physical health as they may not find the motivation to exercise or be active.
Because of inactivity, many people with anergia may experience dietary concerns as well. If food is present in their home, anergia may cause them to overeat, sometimes resulting in obesity or problems with their blood-sugar level. If food is not present, anergia may keep people from going to the grocery store or to a restaurant, which may lead them to skip meals. This anergic effect can lead to unhealthy weight loss and occasionally anemia. This may worsen the anergia because, without proper nutrients in the body, energy typically cannot be maintained.
Anergia treatments
Several treatments are available for anergia. You might benefit from speaking with an anergic psychiatrist or therapist, as there may be underlying causes of anergia that also need to be treated. Doctors may target the underlying condition that is causing anergia instead of the anergia itself.
For example, if depression is causing your anergia, instead of finding ways to get you out of a temporary anergic state, a psychiatrist might prescribe you a medication like a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) to treat your depression, which in turn may relieve anergia symptoms. However, the National Institute of Health notes that SSRIs may not be of particular help with anergia, while SNRIs such as Wellbutrin and similar medications have been found to be more effective for anergia and other motivation-related disorders. Before prescribing anergia medications, a doctor may order blood tests to get a clearer picture of your health and factor in any other conditions you may have to determine the best course of anergia treatment.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is also common in treating the symptoms of depression like anergia. Some people with anergia avoid completing daily tasks that are often necessary, such as housekeeping, showering, or exercising. If you experience this, CBT may help you analyze why you feel incapable of completing these tasks and help you change inaccurate thoughts, which may enable you to perform such tasks in the future with anergia.
If the cause of anergia does not appear to be psychological, a doctor may order blood tests to determine if there is a problem such as anemia. If the anergia persists, stimulants might be prescribed to restore healthy levels of energy.
What else can I do?
Support for anergia
If you think you might be experiencing anergia, consider talking to a mental health professional. A licensed therapist be able to help you analyze your anergic symptoms, identify what is causing the anergia, and develop the most effective anergia treatment plan.
Takeaway
What are the symptoms of anergia?
Anergia is a symptom, anergia is not a medical condition, experienced by people with a wide range of mental health conditions, such as depressive disorders, and chronic physical health complications, such as acute coronary syndrome. Anergia is characterized by a persistent and extreme lack of energy or fatigue.
What is anergia in psychiatry and mental health?
Anergia is a symptom that some people with a mental health condition, such as depression, experience. Anergia is one of many depression symptoms, and anergia is defined as a persistent and extreme lack of energy or fatigue.
What is anergia in schizophrenia?
People with schizophrenia may experience anergia. Anergia is defined as a negative symptom of schizophrenia. Negative symptoms are referred to as symptoms that lower or remove altogether normal behaviors and functions. In this case, anergia can affect someone’s ability to complete daily tasks, such as brushing their teeth, or activities they enjoy.
Is anergia or lack of energy the same as fatigue?
While fatigue and anergia are similar, anergia is considered to be persistent and not related to exertion (using mental or physical effort to complete a task). People who experience a mental health disorder or a chronic physical health condition may have an increased risk of experiencing anergia.
How do you know if you have anhedonia?
What are anergia and anhedonia?
Anergia and anhedonia are two symptoms that may be experienced by people with mental health disorders and psychiatric disorders. Anergia is persistent fatigue that doesn’t necessarily correlate with exertion. Anhedonia may accompany anergia, the inability to experience joy or pleasure, especially in activities or interests that you once enjoyed.
What is an example of anergia?
Anergia can affect someone’s daily life, including work responsibilities, social activities, and how they relate to their family. For example, anergia is a common symptom in older people and may present as a lack of interest in their social lives, leading to isolation.
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