Do you get depressed when you don't have a special interest?

[foliodoe]

My hyperfixations tend to come and go in phases. Lately I've been feeling restless and unhappy because I'm not really "into" anything.

Currently I'm searching for something to be interested in so I can watch videos about it, write about it, and pretty much think about it all the time. I'm feeling totally uninspired and under-stimulated.

 

[Progster]

Not being interested in anything is a sign of depression. I don't look for interests particularly, they find me. They just happen, usually with some kind of random trigger.

 

[Slime_Punk]

Mine don't seem to really go anywhere unless new ones take over. But I've also never had depression before (aside from a case of the 'blahs' from time to time) so I have no idea what anything related to it might be like. My wife [NT] suffers from depression, and from what I've noticed she basically has no interest in anything for long periods of time when it flares up - and I can only assume this happens for people with ASD special interests as well.

Sometimes I do feel like the dopamine drip I get from special interests is tied in with my anxiety, though. Sometimes if I'm studying and working like crazy it's really tough to go from that level of activity down to sleep, relaxation, etc. People with depression are known to sleep much more than people with anxiety, too, so I think both sides of the coin have some strange pros and cons in a weird way.

 

[GypsyMoth]

My hyperfixations tend to come and go in phases. Lately I've been feeling restless and unhappy because I'm not really "into" anything.

Currently I'm searching for something to be interested in so I can watch videos about it, write about it, and pretty much think about it all the time. I'm feeling totally uninspired and under-stimulated.

Yes. I feel lost when I am not working a schedule in a routine with goals and deadlines and when I am not doing what I love--which is doing research & writing papers. Actually, I was getting a bit burnt out on it toward the end & needed a break. (I worked 7 days a week, anywhere from 3 to 6, to 12, 16, and even 18 hours a day and only took a select few days off during the semester.) But graduating sure put a fast end to it. That and being in an emotionally unstable environment has prevented me from re-establishing a healthy, self-directed project routine. (But I think I'm reclaiming some ground in that.)

Actually, having found work that is not and cannot be as stimulating makes me feel very lost indeed.

 

[Luca]

I second that it sounds like depression, but none of us can know for certain because we're not you!

I never really lose interest or focus in my special interests, and if I did, I would know that something was really wrong... I do suffer from depression though, and sometimes I just get burned out and feel less motivated, especially with creating art and music... but even with that, I don't really lose interest in anything.
I would imagine that not having a special interest would make me feel very sad and bored though.
I run a business and I feel kind of bummed out when I don't have a busy work schedule. I also get depressed when I don't socialize frequently irl.

I think watching videos is a good start for finding things to be interested in and maybe picking up some hobbies. As much as there are some downsides to Youtube (one of them being the algorithm) it's a good resource for learning and trying new things. It's easy to get sucked into wasting a lot of time on Youtube though so I try to limit myself to a couple of hours a day before and after work.

Another suggestion I often have is to find in-person resources for pursuing interests and meeting like-minded people. Do you know if there are any Meetup groups in your area?
I'm not a social media person myself but I have heard from others on here and irl that there are sometimes Facebook groups for specific hobbies, if that's something you're into.

All it takes is finding one cool thing that you like, and maybe it will take your mind off of having nothing to do, and maybe you will end up with a new hobby!

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Being an Aspie without a special interest would drive me nuts, I always have at least a couple on the go I doubt you can force yourself to have on they just come and go when one runs out, like for me keeping track of covid statistics leaves a bit of a hole which must be filled now I keep track of my health statistically blood pressure, oxygen level, and most recently temperature. Physics is biggest special interest one hundred years and finally some cracks starting to for 50 of these years was while I was watching really enjoyed it the one commonality is I like solving real life mysteries. another special interest of mine which I Share with my family who are really interested including my extended family cousins. is why are we so bright it took me years, but I am starting to see it started with the marriage of my grandparents, so genealogy is involved genetic basis for intelligence. no regressing to mean in my family. at least not for four generations, just started fifth, so too early to tell.

Special interest defines us as far as I can make out, I seems that they find us. they defined my job when I worked. first day on first job found book on industrial colour control, which hooked me built a career around it which lasted over forty years, really miss my spectrophotometer.

 

[AprilR]

Yes when i get depressed, i sometimes don't even enjoy my hyperfixations.

 

[kingthe6]

Yeah, when I'm less interested in my special interests than usual or when I don't have a current hyperfixation it feels really understimulating. For a few years, I was less interested in owls and Pokemon, which are my main special interests, and I ended up going back to them and after taking that step back it was pretty easy to get engrossed in it again.

I tend to find hyperfixations when I'm least expecting them. I have depression and when I'm experiencing anhedonia, which might be what you're experiencing/what some people here are suggesting (again, I can't know because I'm not you), I still push myself to engage with things knowing that eventually something will stick and become a hyperfixation. Easier said than done, but that's what tends to work for me.

 

[Judge]

Simply put, when my special interests are no longer "special", it's always indicative of cycling into a state of depression. With chronic clinical depression it's probably my best "barometer" to assess my degree of depression at any point in time.

 

[Outdated]

I need a special interest. I'm also very prone to depression and I need something to get excited about to help lift me out of it.

I bought myself a new gaming computer earlier this year. It sat in an unopened box on my lounge room floor for a month because I couldn't be bothered opening it.

I bought myself an electrically assisted bicycle in the hope that it would encourage me to leave the house more, but that didn't spark any real interest in me either.

Now I've gone back to an old hobby, photography. I just bought myself a nice new camera. I can't say I'm really excited about it just yet but it has sparked more interest than anything else of late. I had an early night last night so that I can get up early and got to a park to try it out. I must be looking forward to it, I woke up at 2:00 am.

 

[MildredHubble]

My experience is similar to what @Luca described. I don't lose interest in my special interests but there are times where depression ruins it. It's like there are all these cool things that pique a little excitement in me, but when I go to interact with them, it's like they are behind 2 inches of bullet proof glass.

The problem with having bipolar disorder, in my case, is that projects are begun in ernest when my mood is much better. Then when the depression hits, the project sits abandoned for ages, half finished.

I've often described this as "loosing interest" in things I enjoy. A very common effect of Anhedonia (lack of ability to enjoy things). Unfortunately my last experience with mental health services chose to interpret this as meaning I was essentially saying "I hate the things I used to enjoy, they're rubbish." I never said any such thing.

I just about manage at the moment to keep connected with my special interests. But sometimes I have big plans that require some preparation, but once the preparation is complete, the depression comes back full force. So there's things that never get off the starting line and that creates more depression.

 

[Owliet]

My hyperfixations tend to come and go in phases. Lately I've been feeling restless and unhappy because I'm not really "into" anything.

Currently I'm searching for something to be interested in so I can watch videos about it, write about it, and pretty much think about it all the time. I'm feeling totally uninspired and under-stimulated.

If I couldn’t pursue my interests, yes but I am often falling into the depression hole So find it difficult to focus on anything. I hyperfocus a lot of the time and go over the top with how in depth i am with my interests.

 

[MildredHubble]

I need a special interest. I'm also very prone to depression and I need something to get excited about to help lift me out of it.

I bought myself a new gaming computer earlier this year. It sat in an unopened box on my lounge room floor for a month because I couldn't be bothered opening it.

I bought myself an electrically assisted bicycle in the hope that it would encourage me to leave the house more, but that didn't spark any real interest in me either.

Now I've gone back to an old hobby, photography. I just bought myself a nice new camera. I can't say I'm really excited about it just yet but it has sparked more interest than anything else of late. I had an early night last night so that I can get up early and got to a park to try it out. I must be looking forward to it, I woke up at 2:00 am.

This is very similar to what happens to me! The bike thing you described is very familiar in terms of theme to me.

For a brief while I started enjoying drawing again. So I thought "let's capitalise on this!" I bought a rather expensive (for me) graphics tablet. But by the time it arrived I was feeling depressed, so it sat around in it's box for ages. Then there was the setting up of the computer software, I chose to use FireAlpaca. It took a while to sort it all out. But then my energy was spent.

I have fairly often tried to invest in things that will hopefully get the "wheels turning" again but so far it's just in fits and starts. I really do long for a few years ago when I could maintain my focus for days and days.

The bottom line is, I still love my special interests as much as I did when I discovered them as a kid. Nothing has changed, they are part of my identity. I just struggle right now to focus like I used to. It's like a feedback loop. :-(

 

[Outdated]

I did take on a new special interest about 3 years ago. After a decade of isolation from society I managed to sort out quite a few things in my head. I worked out that some of the things that upset me are about my own nature, but there's quite a lot about our society I'm not too happy with either.

I recognised a rare instance of political and social climates that gave us an opportunity to push for some changes, so I came barreling out of the bush like an angry wild pig. I managed to sway a few minds and I can see successes still rolling along without any more input from me. I poured a lot of heart and soul in to that.

But that was definitely Not a healthy obsession and I burnt myself out a bit. I knew I was going to burn myself out but if you want something you have to be prepared to pay for it.

Now I'm trying to recover. That's what brought me to this forum, and it has helped immensely.

 

[MildredHubble]

I did take on a new special interest about 3 years ago. After a decade of isolation from society I managed to sort out quite a few things in my head. I worked out that some of the things that upset me are about my own nature, but there's quite a lot about our society I'm not too happy with either.

I recognised a rare instance of political and social climates that gave us an opportunity to push for some changes, so I came barreling out of the bush like an angry wild pig. I managed to sway a few minds and I can see successes still rolling along without any more input from me. I poured a lot of heart and soul in to that.

But that was definitely Not a healthy obsession and I burnt myself out a bit. I knew I was going to burn myself out but if you want something you have to be prepared to pay for it.

Now I'm trying to recover. That's what brought me to this forum, and it has helped immensely.

I'm trying to avoid "barreling out of the bush like an angry wild pig" right now.

I've alluded to problems with the way mental health services treated me. Indeed, this is what makes me reticent about going to them about my growing sureness that I have ASD traits.

I know what they did, it's all in my medical records and it's a disgraceful contradictory mess. It's totally undeniable.

But I have to keep my powder dry. One day when I have recovered enough, I will deal with it intelligently and carefully.

Knocking some heads together is awfully tempting though. But it would likely burn me out too and I'm not sure how successful it would be.

 

[Outdated]

One day when I have recovered enough, I will deal with it intelligently and carefully.

Pretty much what I did. I really did need that period of isolation first, and I was one of the lucky few in a position to get it.

I like a comment I picked up in a fantasy novel - You have to strike the iron when it's hot.

Bide your time, eventually all the correct circumstances will align, then you'll have your day.

 

[MildredHubble]

Pretty much what I did. I really did need that period of isolation first, and I was one of the lucky few in a position to get it.

I like a comment I picked up in a fantasy novel - You have to strike the iron when it's hot.

Bide your time, eventually all the correct circumstances will align, then you'll have your day.

Exactly! I have this phrase I occasionally say to people when they try to walk all over me. It goes...

"I collect projects that involve solving problems. I always solve problems. Problems generally know to start running when I'm involved, and you are starting to look like a problem."

I'm like an ND Rambo! Lol!

 

[Forest Cat]

It's more that I lose interest in my interests if I get depressed. For example, if I don't want to do any gardening, something is terribly wrong with me.

 

[lexand3r]

I also need to have something to be obsessed with to keep going well. Most of my hyperfixations are TV Shows or movies. I don't just need one that I like, I need one to keep thinking about all day, to write, talk with other people and rewatch it again and again until I have most lines stuck in my mind.

 

[mysterionz]

Yes when i get depressed, i sometimes don't even enjoy my hyperfixations.

This sums my experience 100%. No diagnosis for depression as my mom/dad would believe that I don’t “have depression” despite struggling with anxiety my whole life to the point I need to be on medication for it