I have a friend who says he can’t cry — are there medical conditions that stop people from crying?

Sometimes I can cry, and others, I can’t. Like after I’ve been crying and things get worst, the water works stop and I can’t even form tears in my eyes.

Does that mean I’m severly depressed or something?

I’ve been on anit-depressants before, but can that happen? I cry and then just stop.

my husband experienced a traumatic brain injury in an auto accident that left him in a 2 week coma and months of rehabilitation. He cannot cry, not matter how badly he wants to. He was able to cry prior to the accident. His neurologist thinks it’s PTSD, is that the most likely reason? he is not depressed…

i used to cry but now it’s impossible. i like to cry and i wish i can be back a normal person.

When I’m really sad I can’t cry it out. I develop a lump in my throat and my eyes water but no tears run. Is that normal? It’s weird because I was one of those people who couldn’t control their tears.

My mother in law lost her huband of 61 years and has yet to cry two years later. She feels a lump in her throat and tighness in her chest but cannot cry. I noticed my husband and sister-in-law only shed a couple of tears, is this heriditary?

I suffered a truamatic brain injury in 1996 was in a coma for several days spent 4 months in the hospital and 8 more to recovery at home. Since then, I have not shed a tear even if I feel the emotion in my heart and need to cry. I am not depressed and do not have PTSD since my car accident has been so long. It is very troubling but have not talked to my Dr as I already deal with residual effects such as ADHD and a learning disorder.

Listen, I only checked this stuff out cause my wife says that i am not normal. let me tell you that I haven’t shed a tear since I was 12 years of age. I am now 27. I only cryed then cause i didn’t want to go back to a bording school that shall remain nameless. It was a tuff school which dischsarged us only at the end of the month. My father who I was really close to recently passed and my wife thought that something would come from this and nothing has.

I am not depressed, feel normal and take lifes lessons to my small construction company.

Don’t let people say that not crying is not normal. It just means that you have lived life, and that there are other things bigger than break ups and deaths. Everything has a begining and an end. Peoople that dont cry tend to know this.

Wether it be your dog, car or esspresso machine, everything breaks, so will our sun one day.

So maybe cry babies are the ones that arent normal as they haven’t realised this simple fact of life yet.

GO NON CRYERS GO

I’m only 15 years old, I don’t suffer from depression as far as I know and I don’t think I have experienced any major traumas that could cause PTSD. If anyone on this website can help or knows anyone who can help me understand why I physically can’t cry then could you please post information on this website because I all I want is to be a normal teenager who experiences normal emotions and who can deal with them by letting out a tear. EVERYONE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO CRY.

Im 15 as well and no matter what I do i can’t cry , I broke my foot no tears came out , when people I love die I cannot shed one tear ,my gf broke up with me and I loved her alot,but could not cry,is there something wrong with me or was it the way i was rasied.

This is really interesting! I am really glad I can cry!But I dont like others seeing me cry. I am really sorry to those of you who can’t cry. It must be very furiating.

My husband also cannot cry. He is 27 and has not cried since he was 24. The weird thing is he used to cry ALL the time. Every fight, sad movies, all the time and several times a week. Now it has been 3 years and he just doesnt cry. I wish he would though.

I havent cried for 4 years. And no matter what shit happens I just cant cry anymore. I went through a phrase prior to this 4 years of dry spell where I used to cry everyday. The tears were so uncontrollable they just flowed out whenever i feel sad. they were so hard to control. Then after that, I just stopped crying altogether. No matter how hurt or sad I was, all i can feel is a tightness in my chest. Nothing more.

For quite long, I’ve been crying almost everyday. When I wake up and when I go to sleep or sometimes even after lunch (personal reasons)

I don’t think I’m depressed or anything… That time I prayed to God that I want to stop crying. Now that He granted my wish, I couldn’t help but feel different. I cry when someone insults me, or when someone dies, when I feel pity, or when I watch dramatic endings. Its just funny that I can’t. Maybe some physical condition caused this but I couldn’t point out what.

My heart is really clenching so bad with a story that I’m currently reading. My eyes burn and I can barely breathe, but I can’t cry.

I haven’t cried over anything in just under nine years. Not sure if it’s due to depression or a mental block placed upon myself for seeing crying as a weakness. I do wonder about it though, and wonder why it is that no matter how bad things get, who dies, or whatever, I can’t shed one tear.

I had the most difficult time crying after my son was killed. Yet, when I would go to this very kind dentist for a simple exam (painless)…I would be weeping. I cry at inappropriate times and only certain people seem to cause me to be able to cry.
Its a horrible tense *feeling* not being able to cry.
Whenever I am able to shed just a few tears,its a wonderful feeling of relief and relaxation that all the tranquilizers in the world just cannot duplicate. I hope you can help people like all of us who have such difficulty crying. I am certain we will live longer &more happily, too.

i used to be extremely depressed and cried more than once every day… my parents were big drug addicts and unlike my other family members who didnt want to get involved i did. tho i no i shoudnt have i always opposed their drug use and would scream at the top of my lungs and swear at them… i called the cops and dcfs on them (they didnt do much infact yelled at me) but as i did this my dad would act abusivley towards me thus i became depressed and after my dad hurt me so bad it made a scar i cried like no other i screamed tears but after that never did i cry again… later my dad samshed me against the door in the closet all i did was louagh… i am an extremely cold person i think terrible thoughts like wishing death on my mother because then i would inherit everything i try to control my thoughts but its really hard and i donnt want to think like that but i really cant help it…. well anyway i dont cry anymore because i think i have had my share of pain and tears so i guess i dont need to cry anymore nothing is painful enough for me to waist m time and mope nothing is that special to me anymore… kinda sad isnt it… even my own brothers death i didnt even get sad hhmmpphh

I have not been able to cry for over 5 years. Am 62 years old. Separated about 5 years ago from husband of 40 years. Divorced 2 years ago-could not cry then or at deaths in the family or any other loss. I feel that I want to cry, that it would make me feel better. May get a little misty but cannot break down and have a good cry. Doctors and even a psychiatrist don’t seem to think it’s a problem, but I do. This is the first place I have seen other people have the exact same problem and possible reasons. I take anti-depressants and they seem to help somewhat.

I was on here to see why my co-worker doesn’t cry, then I read Alexis’s post. I’m so very sorry that nobody helped you. I’m sorry that it broke you. I hope you can find healing. You were only trying to do the right thing. I pray you find your joy again.

hey okay so i havent been able to cry in forever! i used to take medicine for depression and im so afraid that it has enabled me to cry. i took the medicine becuase my father abused me emotionally and physically and i havent cryed ever since ive seen him which was two years ago. well ok thats not entirly true. i can only cry when i see things about abuse.. ANYWAYS so i was watching this commercial and supposidly there are eye drops that can trigger the chemicals in your brain to make you cry. but just ask your eye doctor.. there is still hope!

“Strong emotions cause our brains to release chemicals that indirectly lead to teary eyes.”

Is there not a part of the brain that can be damaged when someone can’t cry? For example, maybe the chemical-releasing part of the brain that causes tearing when you feel a strong emotion can be releasing the chemicals/hormones/neurotransmitters at the wrong times or not at all. I find this likely for those who do not have depression or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

For those who do or used to have a stronger degree of Depression, it’s like Diabetes. When you have an onset of diabetes (after birth) or as an adult)the insulin receptors/releasers in the body are damaged because you probably had too much sugar and your pancreas stopped being able to filter sugar properly. For depression or any emotional disorder, the inability to cry and crying at the wrong times may come from having cried too much which may have caused the receptors/releasers in the brain to be damaged just like in Diabetes.

(Sorry if I’m contradicting myself or make no sense or am giving the wrong info; please correct me)

For those who think that you don’t have depression and feel that you just do not have the reasons to cry because you know “that you have lived life, and that there are other things bigger than break ups and deaths,” you might actually be desensitized to emotion and are not interested in things much/don’t feel things like most people (apparently) do. You can still be happy and might be content with how you feel now, but you might remember that earlier in life, you either felt really bad and, at that point, decided that you never needed to cry again or, you never actually cried.

I say all of this because, like all things that happen to people, it’s either psychological or physical.

I hope you all can get some sort of help because even if it does look pathetic, crying is the best thing one can do to renew one’s spirit and energy, and clear one’s mind in order to make good decisions.

Good luck to all!

Hi,

Learning more about depression has opened my eyes to a few things. From the mouth of people who have clinical depression and accept it, they have said that depression is not a constant state of sadness but instead, a state of not being able to feel anything at all.

Remember that being depressed does not always mean that something so bad happened to you that you are always sad. It also means that there may be a chemical imbalance in your brain and problems just add to it. Also, having problems and realizing that you can’t feel anything or can’t cry when you probably should be can be devastating, adding more to the depression. (I bet you can see the vicious cycle here)

I came here looking for some advice, regarding a person I know who is now incapable of crying. I have noted that this person, close to me, is now capable of other things instead. Has become self absorbed, uncaring of how others feel, uses people for what this person can get from them…ect..
I was reading the comments and the one comment that struck me as to where my friend is heading is, unfortunelty, non cryer, August 27, 2008 at 11:05 pm. The person who signed as Non Cryer, appears to be almost superior in his lack of emotional output. This strikes one as a person who cared very deeply at one time for people, places and perhaps social issues, only to lose hope in all mentioned, thus taking a shelter in not allowing feelings to be manifested. Its a shame.
The other point that I am writing about, is the article where it is stated that crying is a uniquely human trait. This is catagorically untrue. Animals do cry. So do mammals. Elephants cry, for example, when people beat them and when their loved ones die. Koalas exhibit tears, as do horses, as do cats actually. And Ive seen dogs cry. In my years as a child and animal advocate, I have seen all spieces exhibit deep sorrow, I have seen a young loin die of a broken heart, despite all our efforts to save him, once his mate was shot by a hunter. I have seen wolves literally die of starvation when their mate is caught in a barbaric animal trap and instead of eating, laid there next to their mate and died along with their mate. I have seen bears cry, I have seen cows and calves suffer such pain and intense heart break when at rodeos that it would make you be ashamed to be a human being.
I have seen children, cared for them, tried to help them adjust to the horrific thingstheir parents did to them, cry in such a way that I would think “this is the sound that angels make when they weep.”
So in closing, I’d like to say, that tears are an important function of a well adjusted life form, but that said, just because tyou cant see a life form crying does not mean that they are not. As my Grandmother once told me “Just beacause you cannot see a tree crying when it is being chopped down, does not mean that the tree is not.”
So to the gentleman that wrote in on, August 27, 2008, Non Cryer, I hope one day you will allow those close to you the honour of comforting you and may you find the peace and freedom and trust you search for, to allow yourself to cry on the outside instead of solely on the inside.

I was depressed often until I suffered with a psychotic episode.I was put on drugs abilify to be exact.I took them for 5 months.Now that I am off them for 2 months I have not been able to cry.I actually show more emotions of anger now than sorrow.I think it could be the drugs that caused it,I do notice that everytime I want to cry I get a strong headache and that just distracts me from crying.I am pretty sad I dont feel like the same person I feel like I have changed.Like Marla describes her friend.Now that I dont cry I changed my mind of things for one I care less about people less attached.Because when I did cry I cried because I was attached or what some would could call love.Now I love them but I realize that when I was a weeping harlot I was hurting myself.Now I dont cry and dont feel abused,when I did cry it was because I felt so.I pretty much dont mind for people anymore after being hurt repeatedly.I hope them well but I just get emotionally attached or help them out in something,they can find it elsewhere like I did when I wept.So now I feel there is two of me that constantly fight,but the weeping me gives me a headache so when I want to cry or about to feel pity for myself I get a strong headache like a tension headache.Like I said before I can get angry but not cry,certain situations lately would be ones I would cry about and consider suicide cuz I was depressed but I dont feel that no longer,I actually think justice should be made and the other person be punished and die rather than myself.So yes I do have hope for myself as for others who do me wrong I wish them death.Not something I see as bad,the way I see it is they need to die before they change.

I’m 18 and simply can not remember the last time that I cried. It makes me wonder if I am broken. Something in me broke when I was younger and I just stopped crying. I don’t think that I am depressed and there no significant truama in my past. I still feel emotions, probably the same as everyone else although i’ll never know, but I can’t cry. I want to.

Dear Broken,
Sometimes at night I find myself asking the same question; what is wrong with me? I haven’t cried since the war. I think I might be a robot; my doctor says I have Chronic Dry Eye, but I am not convinced. Try watching the Notebook or Love Actually. If you can’t cry you may or may not be human.

Love…
Your Friend with Dry Eyes

Four months ago I stopped crying. I feel the response starting as well as a very strong need to cry, but it is abruptly cut short. I have Lyme Disease and started a new herbal protocol around that time. The herbs immediately lifted a cloud of depression I was living under. I don’t know if somehow they are preventing me from crying.

Yesterday, in the middle of Tai Chi class, I started crying and then last night again a brief episode. Can I now cry again? I don’t know.

hey um well… im not sure if its normal but i havent cried for i think five months. I was taught that tears are weakness. i dont show much emotion, im not an emotional person. there are times when i want to cry and i force myself to remeber all the bad things ive been through and the new problem thats making it worse but i cant. my eyes dont water. and lately ive been feeling numb, i dotn feel happy when something goes right and i dont feel sad anymore. i feel nothing and it bugs me that i cant feel anything.

Some people just don’t cry, I think it’s kind of wrong for people to expect everyone to express their emotions in the same way, for people who are wondering if there is something wrong with you becuase you don’t cry, there is only something wrong with you if this is a sudden developement and isn’t normal for you.
This may not be ‘normal’ for the rest of the population but if it’s normal for you it’s fine.

I really can go years without crying, it’s not like I force myself not to, I just never get the urge to.
If I ever cry it’s becuase there is something VERY wrong with me.
I will not take anyone telling me there is something wrong with me because I cry so little, you shouldn’t either.

I since I have no reason mourn achievement. Sometimes with a terrible desire to do so, but I can not. When a feeling comes over me and I come from the desire to mourn, my eyes fill with tears, but even if I do not go sfuerce. I can not mourn, why is that?

I don’t want to sound like a hard ass but I have never cried ever. I through tantrums when i was little, but i have never shed one tear. I’m 20 years old. Good thing i’m a marine right

I havnt cried since I was in the 4th grade when my my mother died.
I am now 30. i havnt cried since, not even when my wife died at my age of 25.

Lol it’s really funny how some “men” who are older than 20 years and still want to cry :D , in my book a man should stop crying after the age of 12.