Question:

> Flattening of affect is a well established side effect for some people on

Someone wrote and asked what I meant by this phrase. In its extreme form, it means emotionless, numb, you don’t ‘feel anything’. You don’t get happy, you don’t get sad. More specifically, you don’t react emotionally to situations which would normally evoke some kind of emotional response. In milder forms, the reaction is unusually small considering the situation, like reacting ‘oh, that’s nice’ when told you have just won $12M in the lottery, and meaning it. BTW, I think we have all experienced inappropriately mild reactions to serious events. We call it ‘going into shock’. Shock seems to act. among other things, like a kind of emotional circuit breaker that keeps us from being overwhelmed, and therefor allows us to apply our intellect or instincts to ‘cope’. Flattening of affect is different from anhedonia, where the symptom is inability to get _pleasure_ from life. While relief from the suffering of depression or anxiety is a positive thing, some people who also experience flattening of affect, like the woman in the original post, are not sure it is worth it. Luckily, it is _not_, as far as I know, all that common as a response to ADDs. However, it does occur. I don’t recall seeing any figures, but I believe when it does occur, it is reversable, like most side effects. As I wrote in my original post, I believe I detected some flattening of affect in myself on paxil that went away when I switched to serzone. Your mileage may (and probably will) vary. Rich

Response:

Has Citalopram ruined my mother’s life? I enclose a letter written by my mother, where she describes her situation after taking anti depression medication recommended by her doctor. My questions are: Has anyone experienced similar situations with the use of Citalopram or similar anti depression medication? And if so, is the below described situation permanent or temporary? Does anyone know what resources I should contact to get more information/help? I am very grateful for all input, as the situation is getting more critical every day. Thanks in advance Tarje Johnsen (her son) – - – Citalopram attacked solar plexus and stole my emotional life. My name is Bj