Can Antidepressants Affect an HSP's Sensitivity?

Photo by Maksim Goncharenok

Antidepressants are often a first-line treatment for mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression, which highly sensitive people are at a greater risk of developing.¹

Between 2015-2018, around %13.2 of American adults took antidepressants, and with the onset of the pandemic it’s likely those numbers have gone up.²

Because of their effectiveness and widespread use, it is worth investigating: Is there science behind our sensitivity being affected by antidepressants?

Emotional Blunting

It is proven that sensitive people are strongly affected by medication.³ A study conducted by Elaine and Arthur Aron, among others, proved that “the higher a study participant’s HSP score the more intense their reactions to medications."

Furthermore, it is shown that those who experience sensitivity to medication will also show more signs of adverse effects, which means highly sensitive people are at an increased risk for side effects.³

In my experience with antidepressants as an HSP, normal doses are very strong, and it feels like they put me in the body of a non-HSP, but they keep my sensitive mind. So, I still felt like myself internally but my actions didn't always reflect that, especially socially because I had a hard time being empathetic and connecting with people as deeply or emotionally. While depression and anxiety were certainly reduced, there was a dimness in my life during that time because of my inability to feel my full range of emotion.

Part of the reason I experienced this effect on my emotions was because of a common side effect of antidepressants known as emotional blunting.⁴ According to NeuroLaunch, Emotional blunting is “a state where a person experiences a reduced ability to feel or express emotions, both positive and negative."⁵

Highly sensitive people can be particularly damaged by emotional blunting because of how much joy we get from being able to connect emotionally with our surroundings. If we see our ability to feel and express emotions as features of our sensitivity, then emotional blunting certainly can suppress our sensitivity. 

Furthermore, emotional blunting is shown to have an impact on creativity, empathy, and even ability to cry.⁶ Many people see these things as components of their sensitive mind.

Deciding whether these side effects are worth it involves understanding if you would lose yourself without your usual ability to feel, or if taking the medication is a needed break from emotional intensity. 

Our Pause-to-check System can be Affected

Elaine Aron, in The Highly Sensitive Person, discusses the possibility of HSP’s “pause-to check” system, also known as the behavioral inhibition system, being affected by antidepressants.⁷

The pause-to-check system, which is often strong in HSPs, controls our attention to danger, and helps us be “alert, cautious, and watchful for signs (of danger)."⁷

The way that antidepressants could reduce our sensitivity, according to Dr. Aron, is that they “stir up” our behavioral activation center to “counteract (our) pause-to-check system.⁷ The behavioral activation center does the opposite of our pause-to-check system, meaning it is “responsible for initiating and regulating goal-directed behavior.”⁸

So, if our pause-to-check center is run over by our behavioral activation center because of taking antidepressants, we may be more likely to do things less mindfully and an extra step in our sensitive way of decision-making would be missing.

However, this change is not completely bad as Aron points out that people with a quiet behavioral activation center, who probably come across as shy, could benefit from antidepressants because the drug may reduce their shyness and make it easier to initiate action. 

Fortunately, there are also positive ways antidepressants can impact our sensitivity.

Reduced Overstimulation

Being easily overstimulated is seen as a key component of being highly sensitive.¹ PsychMechanics describes it as "when the sensory information you receive from one or more of your senses exceeds the information processing capacity of your brain."⁹ Overstimulation is also one of the hardest parts of being highly sensitive, as we reach this state quicker and stronger. It can be disorienting and can cause anxiety and depression at the least, as well as making it harder to focus, sleep, and do things we love. Ultimately, Dr. Aron believes that antidepressants can move us into a more optimal state of arousal from our overstimulation.⁷ 

Antidepressants “work by balancing neurotransmitters in the brain, which can help regulate emotional responses to stimuli.."¹⁰ They also increase the levels of serotonin in the brain, which can help regulate mood and reduce anxiety.

So, it seems that this help with balancing neurotransmitters could reduce our overstimulation. This could allow us to do things like socialize or work longer without getting overstimulated. Or maybe it could allow us to multitask or focus better.

It could also allow us to cope with performance anxiety, such when speaking in public, which HSPs often struggle with.¹¹ 

Mental Health

Antidepressants can be life-changing for HSPs who have struggled with depression, anxiety, mood instability, and other mental health conditions.

Ultimately, some of us may find that antidepressants are what’s best for us. Or we may decide that we don't feel like ourselves when we're on them. Either way, with discernment and communication with a doctor, you can decide what's right for you.

Conclusion

While many factors come into play when choosing to take antidepressants, there is science behind antidepressants changing our sensitivity in good and bad ways. 

There are certainly many more life-changing benefits that antidepressants can offer in HSPs lives, but I tried to focus specifically on areas of our sensitivity that could be affected by it.

Sources

¹  Dosari, M., AlDayel, S. K., Alduraibi, K. M., AlTurki, A. A., Aljehaiman, F., Alamri, S., Alshammari, H. S., Alsuwailem, M., Dosari, M., AlDayel, S. K., Alduraibi, K. M., AlTurki, A. A., Aljehaiman, F., Alamri, S., Alshammari, H. S., & Alswaliem, M. A. (2023). Prevalence of Highly Sensitive Personality and Its Relationship With Depression, and Anxiety in the Saudi General Population. Cureus, 15(12). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.49834

² “NHANES Questionnaires, Datasets, and Related Documentation.” Cdc.gov, CDC.gov, 2010, wwwn.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/Default.aspx.

(AS CITED IN)

Brody, D. (2020, September 8). Antidepressant use among adults: United States, 2015-2018. Www.cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db377.htm

³ Jadzia Jagiellowicz, et al. “The Relationship between Sensory Processing Sensitivity and Medication Sensitivity: Brief Report.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 14, 16 Jan. 2024, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1320695.

(AS CITED IN)

‌jadzia jagiellowicz. (2024, January 25). Highly Sensitive Society. Highly Sensitive Society. https://www.highlysensitivesociety.com/blog/hsp-linked-to-medication-sensitivity

⁴ Ma, H., Cai, M., & Wang, H. (2021). Emotional Blunting in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: A Brief Non-systematic Review of Current Research. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.792960

‌(AS CITED IN)

West, M. (2023, August 4). What is emotional blunting? Medicalnewstoday.com; Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/emotional-blunting#symptoms

‌⁵ team, N. editorial. (2024, October 18). Emotional Blunting: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options. NeuroLaunch.com. https://neurolaunch.com/emotional-blunting/

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⁶ Smolcic, A. (2016, October 13). Trying to Be Creative When You’re on Antidepressants Isn’t Easy. VICE. https://www.vice.com/en/article/antidepressants-vs-creativity-trying-to-find-the-middle-ground/

⁷ Aron, E. N. (1997). Highly Sensitive Person.

⁸ Murphy, T. F. (2023, August 29). Behavioral Activation System (BAS). Psychology Fanatic. https://psychologyfanatic.com/behavioral-activation-system/

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⁹ Parvez, H. (2023, December 25). Overstimulated: Meaning, signs & how to cope. Www.psychmechanics.com. https://www.psychmechanics.com/overstimulated-meaning-signs-how-to-cope/

¹⁰ team, N. editorial. (2024, October 18). Medication for Overstimulation: Managing Sensory Overload and Hypersensitivity. NeuroLaunch.com. https://neurolaunch.com/medication-for-overstimulation/

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¹¹ Arlin Cuncic, M.A. (2024, January 11). Best Types of Public Speaking Anxiety Medication. About Social Anxiety. https://www.aboutsocialanxiety.com/public-speaking-anxiety-medicatio/