Emotional blunting

I’m just not my old cheerful self. I find myself having less patience and more angry. I want the old me back

@mvanstem If I might ask, what symptoms are you experiencing? You’ve posted this Discussion in the Brain and Nervous System Support Group. Is the emotional blunting you are referring to the result of a stroke? A disease of the nervous system? Also, how would you define emotional blunting?

I have a neurological condition, Cerebellar Ataxi, where it’s or uncommon to experience emotional blunting. It is where you know intellectually that you would feel sadness, happiness, etc in a certain circumstance but you do not feel any emotion

I have occipital neuralgia and it is difficult to live with. I never know what to expect. I have brain fog and it’s very frustrating

@mvanstem I understand now what you mean. Neurologically I wouldn’t think the cerebellar ataxia would be a neurological cause for emotional blunting. I can see, though, how you might feel emotionally numb with this diagnosis. There are some antidepressant medications that I have heard cause a person to feel emotionally less than they know they normally would.

I was prescribed Paxil about awhile back. It worked for what it was prescribed for (depression and anxiety) but I noticed that my emotions felt constricted and narrowed. Also, I didn’t care so much about the feelings of others which is totally not like me. I was weaned off that medication and in retrospect I’m glad I did.

Do you have a mental health therapist you can talk with about the emotional blunting you are experiencing?

Yes, I have a psychiatrist and a neuro psychologist. Emotional blunting is a real thing and not uncommon for those with cerebellar ataxia

Hi mvanstem,

I don't have anything practical to contribute here...just want to send good thoughts your way.
Your situation sounds pretty stinky -- that's the best word I could come up with for it, sorry. Don't you hate having to say, "yes, it is a real thing"?? I'm sure the other folks here do believe you. A lot of us know what "gas-lighting" is from personal experience. When you have something unusual (me, too), it does get aggravating to have to explain it all the time.

There is a discussion here called "Inspiring quotes" and another called "How about a laugh." Might be worth your time to read a few posts?
Good luck 🙂 I hope you get some answers.

@mvanstem Yes, emotional blunting is a real thing. I totally believe you. I didn’t know it was common with people who have been diagnosed with cerebellar ataxia. It’s good that you have a psychiatrist and a neuropsychologist. What do they have to say about the emotional blunting you are experiencing? How are you feeling this evening?

Apparently there are many causes of emotional blunting. I too had it when I was started on Paxil. It did wonders to quiet my severe anxiety and PTSD but it completely took away feelings of hunger/appetite and I also lost the feeling of "emotions"...hard to explain if one never experienced it. After a trial on it, it was stopped and now have started a new antidepressant which does not blunt my feelings and it's nice to have an appetite again.
Sometimes else I want to bring up re: emotional blunting or perhaps one could use even the word "numbness".
Such "numbness" is very common in women in on-going domestic violence relationships. Over time a woman can become actually "numb" to what is truly happening to her. Such relationships are roller coasters - one minute your partner is a great person - the next a monster. A person's mind can become severely affected...and "emotions" and be dulled, blunted or numbed in the midst of such a relationship. The abnormal becomes normal.
Just some thoughts about mental health issues. You don't elaborated on your "emotional blunting" but I hope you find answers. The best to you.

An antidepressant, in my case Prozac, has caused what I guess you could call emotional blunting. It’s not that I don’t experience emotions, because I do. One thing that I wish I could do is cry; not at the drop of a hat, or at every disappointment. Losing a beloved family member is a good reason to cry, but I didn't, or couldn’t cry when two close family member died. I had a cat who was like part of the family for 20 years, but I didn’t shed a tear when he died. It wasn’t simply a case of acceptance; you might accept things that make you sad, but you can still cry about them. A mental health professional explained that the antidepressant I had been taking for a few years was the likely culprit when I told him I almost never cried.