What is flatness of affect?

You may be elated or depressed, but others can’t tell. This is called a flat affect. People who have it don’t show the usual signs of emotion like smiling, frowning, or raising their voice. They seem uncaring and unresponsive. Flat affect can be brought on by different conditions.

What is blunting of affect?

Blunted affect, also referred to as emotional blunting, is a prominent symptom of schizophrenia. Patients with blunted affect have difficulty in expressing their emotions [1], characterized by diminished facial expression, expressive gestures and vocal expressions in reaction to emotion provoking stimuli [1–3].

What is the difference between blunted and flat affect?

While flat affect and blunted affect may sometimes appear interchangeable, they are different. Those with flat affect have no response to emotional stimuli. Blunted affect, however, describes a dulled or constricted response, where a person’s emotional response is not as intense as normally expected.

How do you deal with flat affect?

Can flat affect be treated?

1. Medications. If a medication is causing your flat affect, your doctor may change the type of medication you’re taking or the dosage.
2. Psychotherapy.
3. Social skills training.
4. Speech therapy.
5. Couples counseling or family therapy.

What does low affect mean?

Overview. Flat affect is a condition that causes people to not express emotions in the same way other people might. For example, when a person without flat affect is happy, they may smile brightly or in some other way show that they’re pleased. A person with flat affect shows no facial expressions.

What does Shallow affect mean?

Shallow affect has a similar meaning to blunted affect, but it is often used to describe the emotional experience of persons with psychopathy. A person with shallow affect will feel little emotion about situations that would expect to elicit specific feelings.

What is congruent affect?

Congruent affect means that a person’s emotions are appropriate for the situation, while incongruent affect means that the emotions are not appropriate. Reactive affect means that a person’s affect changes appropriately depending on the subject of the conversation.

What is shallow affect?

What is constricted affect mean?

constricted affect: diminished variability and intensity with which emotions are expressed.

What causes low affect?

Causes. Flat affect may be the result of unusual brain activity. Specifically, the area of the brain that’s responsible for arousal doesn’t appear as active as it does in people who don’t experience the lack of emotions. Exhibiting signs of flat affect doesn’t mean a person doesn’t experience emotions.

What is the opposite of flat affect?

Blunted affect is a lack of affect more severe than restricted or constricted affect, but less severe than flat or flattened affect. “The difference between flat and blunted affect is in degree. A person with flat affect has no or nearly no emotional expression.

What is a flat affect?

A flat affect is the loss or lack of emotional responses to a situation or event that would typically elicit emotion. People with flat affect may appear to be completely unemotional or apathetic.

What is a flat affect in schizophrenia?

A flat affect can be a negative symptom of schizophrenia, meaning that your emotional expressions don’t show. You may speak in a dull, flat voice and your face may not change. You also may have trouble understanding emotions in other people.

Which emotion is not expressed by people with flat affect?

Emotions to stimuli that are not expressed by people with flat affect include facial, voice and body language changes. Flat affect is characterized by a lack of response to emotional stimuli. This may include having a neutral facial expression. Symptoms of flat affect can include: lack of eye contact, changes in facial expressions, or interest

A flat affect is sometimes referred to as a blunted affect, although a blunted affect often refers to a reduction in emotions that is not as severe as that seen with flat affect. Flat affect can occur in association with schizophrenia or in some types of depression.