Feeling Numb: Symptoms, Causes, And Treatment

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Medical News TodaySubscribeFeeling numb: What you need to know

Medically reviewed by Marney A. White, PhD, MS — Written by Jennifer Huizen — Updated on September 30, 2020

What are the symptoms?
Causes
Treatment
Outlook

It is not unusual to feel emotionally numb after or during a very stressful event. A person may also notice a temporary feeling of dissociation or disconnection from the body and the outside world.

Emotional numbness can be a symptom of severe stress. It may also indicate a more persistent mental health condition, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depersonalization-derealization disorder.

People who experience severe, persistent, or recurrent symptoms should try to seek medical advice.

In this article, learn about how to recognize the symptoms of emotional numbness and what to do if they occur.

What are the symptoms?

Credit Image: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

Emotional numbness, also known as affective blunting, means that a person is unable to experience emotions. Alternatively, they may feel as though they are cut off from their own emotions.

Some signs and symptoms that may be associated with emotional numbness include:

feeling disconnected from one’s body or thoughts
feeling detached from the outside world
feeling like an outsider in one’s own life
a distorted or confused sense of time
difficulty connecting with others
a reduced ability to sense, process, and respond to emotions and physical signals

Depersonalization-derealization disorder

Emotional numbness can be a symptom of depersonalization-derealization disorder, which can, in turn, be a symptom of other dissociative disorders.

In a person with depersonalization-derealization disorder, there is a persistent disruption of self-awareness.

The four main symptoms of depersonalization-derealization disorder are:

feelings of disembodiment, as if one is detached or disconnected from their own body
emotional numbing and an inability to experience emotions or empathy
a lack of ownership when recalling personal information or imagining things, known as anomalous subjective recall
derealization, or a feeling that one’s surroundings are not real

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, a person may feel:

as if they are in a fog, dream, or bubble
robotic, or like an automaton
as if their surroundings are lifeless, colorless, or artificial

There may also be:

distortions of sight and sound
memory loss, or a disconnection from one’s memories
feeling as if living in a dream
feeling cut off from others

A person may also exhibit the following behaviors:

a low responsiveness to emotional cues
a lack of understanding of social situations
low emotional awareness

Disassociation and derealization are different from hallucinations because the person is aware that what they are feeling only affects them.

What are the causes?

Doctors do not know exactly what causes emotional numbness and disconnectedness. The causes may be different for temporary numbness than they are for depersonalization-derealization disorder.

Some causes of temporary emotional numbness that do not appear to have a link with depersonalization-derealization disorder include:

the use of substances such as cannabis, LSD, and ketamine
panic or extreme anxiety attacks
severe depression
severe anxiety
PTSD
receiving news of a terminal illness

Researchers are still investigating how, why, and when depersonalization-derealization disorder occurs, but the following may play a role:

genetic features
environmental factors
biological factors, such as brain structure and brain chemicals

There may also be a link between depersonalization-derealization disorder and:

migraine
paranoid delusions
frontal lobe epilepsy

Emotional numbness is a key symptom of PTSD. Learn more about PTSD here.

Medications

Some medications may also trigger emotional numbness.

A 2014 study found that 60% of just over 1,800 adults who had taken antidepressants, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), within the past 5 years had experienced emotional numbness.

Another study looked at 38 people with bipolar disorder who took SSRIs to treat anxiety or depression. The participants reported various effects, ranging from “just not caring” to complete emotional numbness.

Trauma, stress, and depersonalization-derealization disorder

Some research suggests that emotional numbness may develop as a sort of coping mechanism when a person is facing extreme stress. It can help a person avoid processing information that is shocking or upsetting.

A 6-year study from 2016 followed nearly 3,500 children who had had exposure to violence. The authors found that the young people became increasingly desensitized, or emotionally numb, over time.

Factors that may lead to emotional numbness include:

exposure to traumatic experiences
bereavement
physical or other abuse
extreme stress
finding out about a terminal illness

Some experts have suggested that emotional numbness may result from a depletion of emotional resources after a period of high emotion, such as stress.

Treatment options and coping strategies

Emotional numbness may help people cope with difficult feelings, but it can also affect their ability to make decisions and connect with others.

Addressing the underlying stress and any other issues can often help a person manage the symptoms of numbness.

Treatment may involve making lifestyle decisions, trying psychotherapy, or taking medication. The following sections will look at each of these options in more detail.

Lifestyle changes

The following strategies may help relieve the stress that leads to temporary emotional numbness:

engaging in regular physical activity
trying relaxation exercises
eating a healthful diet
getting enough sleep
identifying triggers and finding new ways to approach them
discussing feelings with a trusted individual and asking for help when needed
seeking treatment for stress

These strategies may also help with depersonalization-derealization disorder.

Psychotherapy

If making lifestyle changes does not help, a doctor may recommend trying counseling or psychotherapy.

For example, cognitive behavioral therapy can help a person understand how their thoughts and feelings affect their behavior. This can help them learn to approach situations in a new way, which may help reduce anxiety.

There are many types of psychotherapy available, and the best option will depend on the individual’s needs. A therapist can recommend ways to treat and relieve numbness and depersonalization-derealization disorder.

Medications

There is no specific medication to treat feelings of numbness, but taking medication to treat an underlying condition, such as depression, may help.

In some cases, the solution may be to stop taking a medication or to switch medications, if the medication itself appears to be triggering the effect.

A doctor may prescribe a medication if the:

symptoms are severe
symptoms have a significant impact on the person’s everyday life for an extended time
person has a diagnosis of PTSD, depression, or another condition

Outlook

Emotional numbness can result from severe stress, the use of some medications, or a condition such as depersonalization-derealization disorder.

It often passes with time, but if it persists and is severe, a person should see a doctor. They may need treatment for an underlying condition.

Depression
Mental Health
Anxiety / Stress
Psychology / Psychiatry
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How we reviewed this article:

SourcesMedical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Depression: Overview. (2020).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279285/
Dissociation and dissociative identify disorder (DID). (n.d.).https://www.rethink.org/advice-and-information/about-mental-illness/learn-more-about-conditions/dissociation-and-dissociative-identity-disorder-did/
Dissociative disorders. (n.d.).https://dsm.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm08
Eftekhari, A., et al. (2009). Patterns of emotional regulation and pyschopathology.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3234115/
Kashdan, T. B., et al. (2007). Anhedonia, emotional numbing, and symptom overreporting in male veterans with PTSD.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2084052/
Kennedy, T. M., & Ceballo, R. (2016). Emotionally numb: Desensitization to community violence exposure among urban youth [Abstract].https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26986229
Maciejewski, P. K., & Prigerson, H. G. (2013). Emotional numbness modifies the effect of end-of-life discussions on end-of-life care.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3511666/
McNally, R. J., et al. (2014). Mental disorders as causal systems: A network approach to posttraumatic stress disorder.https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Denny_Borsboom/publication/284351277_Mental_Disorders_as_Causal_Systems_A_Network_Approach_to_Posttraumatic_Stress_Disorder/links/56af77c908ae9f0ff7b25c46/Mental-Disorders-as-Causal-Systems-A-Network-Approach-to-Posttraumatic-Stress-Disorder.pdf
Price, J., et al. (2009). Emotional side-effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: Qualitative study [Abstract].https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19721109/
Read, J., et al. (2014). Adverse emotional and interpersonal effects reported by 1,829 New Zealanders while taking antidepressants.http://www.breggin.com/antidepressant-drugs-resources/Read2014-antidepressant-apathy-and-indifference.pdf
Sandell, K., & Bornäs, H. (2015). Functioning numbness instead of feelings as a direction: Young adults' experiences of antidepressant use [Abstract].http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0038038515591947
Sedeño, L., et al. (2014). How do you feel when you can't feel your body? Interoception, functional connectivity and emotional processing in depersonalization-derealization disorder.http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0098769
Sippel, L. M., et al. (2018). The unique roles of emotional numbing and arousal symptoms in relation to social connectedness among military veterans in residential treatment for PTSD [Abstract].https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00332747.2017.1395313
Szmulewicz, A., et al. (2016). Behavioral and emotional adverse events of drugs frequently used in the treatment of bipolar disorders: Clinical and theoretical implications.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4754238/

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Medically reviewed by Marney A. White, PhD, MS — Written by Jennifer Huizen — Updated on September 30, 2020

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What are the symptoms?

Depersonalization-derealization disorder

What are the causes?

Medications

Trauma, stress, and depersonalization-derealization disorder

Treatment options and coping strategies

Lifestyle changes

Psychotherapy

Medications

Outlook

How we reviewed this article:

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