Lacking the ability to cry?

[wasapi]

Almost 2 years ago, my partner committed suicide, and for the first few months, I questioned if I would ever be able to stop crying. Then, nothing. It seems I have lost the capacity to cry.

Nothing does it. Yes, a wave of intense sadness, but nothing, no sudden memory or trigger that I encounter, and there are many. In the mean time, with a chronically ill granddaughter, my best friends son taking his life, and other issues, I am incapable of a single tear. Has anyone had this experience?

 

[Skeptical Greg]

Not to demean what you consider a problem, but..

The older I get, the easier it seems that I cry..

I cry when I hear them playing/singing the national anthem at a football game..
I cry when my son posts a new profile picture on FB... etc.,etc.,etc....

I don't remember this being a problem for the previous fifty years or so..

 

[theprestige]

Since we're in SMM&T, here's a scientific/medical contribution:

http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-74502013000400002

 

[wasapi]

Since we're in SMM&T, here's a scientific/medical contribution:

http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-74502013000400002

Thank you, this is what I was looking for. I just realized, about the time I stopped, was a few weeks after increasing the dose of my anti-depressants. Recently, I decreased my dose and will see what happens. Thanks again.

 

[alfaniner]

Thank you, this is what I was looking for. I just realized, about the time I stopped, was a few weeks after increasing the dose of my anti-depressants. Recently, I decreased my dose and will see what happens. Thanks again.

Be sure to do that under a doctor's guidance and/or very gradually. Some of those can wreak havoc if stopped or diminished too quickly.

 

[wasapi]

Be sure to do that under a doctor's guidance and/or very gradually. Some of those can wreak havoc if stopped or diminished too quickly.

Oh, I made that mistake one time. Never, ever again!

 

[MinnesotaBrant]

Yeah antidepressants made me unable to feel feelings of sadness and I regret some of the life choices I made while on them.

 

[Minoosh]

Almost 2 years ago, my partner committed suicide, and for the first few months, I questioned if I would ever be able to stop crying. Then, nothing. It seems I have lost the capacity to cry.

Nothing does it. Yes, a wave of intense sadness, but nothing, no sudden memory or trigger that I encounter, and there are many. In the mean time, with a chronically ill granddaughter, my best friends son taking his life, and other issues, I am incapable of a single tear. Has anyone had this experience?

I’ve had this experience. For me it’s quite unpleasant because of not getting the sense of relief that a good cry can bring. The feelings just build up. It’s like not being able to sneeze when you really need to.

This also happened 20 or so years ago when a lot of traumas kind of built up. I ended up blubbering uncontrollably at someone’s funeral. Someone I liked, but my response was way out of proportion. I have a theory that sometimes relatively small losses will sometimes trigger a response when the big stuff is just too much to bear.

ETA: Have not tried this scientifically, but antidepressants didn’t seem to affect it one way or another. Crying is a strange phenomenon IMO. Had never seen my dad cry but after my 39-year-old brother literally just dropped dead he teared up quite easily. I in the meantime had a hard time getting out of that sort of businesslike mode you get into when you have to sort out the details of coping with a sudden death.

 

[wasapi]

I’ve had this experience. For me it’s quite unpleasant because of not getting the sense of relief that a good cry can bring. The feelings just build up. It’s like not being able to sneeze when you really need to.

This also happened 20 or so years ago when a lot of traumas kind of built up. I ended up blubbering uncontrollably at someone’s funeral. Someone I liked, but my response was way out of proportion. I have a theory that sometimes relatively small losses will sometimes trigger a response when the big stuff is just too much to bear.

ETA: Have not tried this scientifically, but antidepressants didn’t seem to affect it one way or another. Crying is a strange phenomenon IMO. Had never seen my dad cry but after my 39-year-old brother literally just dropped dead he teared up quite easily. I in the meantime had a hard time getting out of that sort of businesslike mode you get into when you have to sort out the details of coping with a sudden death.

Thank you, minoosh. You described it well, the wanting, the needing to sneeze for any relief, never quite comes.