I have heard that people find crying to be cathartic but I have zero idea what that is like. Crying just fills every sinus cavity with mucus and makes me feel like my eyes are slowly getting bored out of my head while my chest becomes more sore. It also delivers no endorphins and I never feel better even a little better for doing it by even the smallest degree. Is that sort of what you mean?
I have always remembered that tears are basically just blood minus the plasma so in many ways it is just kind of openly bleeding from the face.
The lack of catharsis thing seems genetic. Nearly everyone on my Mom's side of the family has the same thing.