Reward processing includes noticing potential rewards, predicting their value, deciding whether effort is worthwhile and learning from the result. Dopamine is involved, but reward depends on wider networks and several neurotransmitters. Anhedonia cannot be reduced…Continue Reading
Treatment engagement means maintaining a workable relationship with services and participating in decisions about care. Limited awareness of illness can make engagement difficult when the person does not see a reason for treatment. Side effects…Continue Reading
Social enjoyment is the pleasure associated with connection, conversation, affection or shared activity. It can be reduced by anhedonia, but low participation does not necessarily mean low enjoyment. A person may want company yet avoid…Continue Reading
Communication around limited illness awareness works best when it is curious, concrete and respectful. Asking what the person has noticed can reveal shared concerns even when explanations differ. A supporter can acknowledge distress without agreeing…Continue Reading
Anhedonia concerns pleasure, while low motivation concerns initiating and sustaining activity. They often interact but are not interchangeable. A person may enjoy an experience once it begins yet struggle to organise it. Another may remain…Continue Reading
Facial expression communicates emotion through movements around the eyes, mouth and other facial muscles. In blunted affect, these movements may be less frequent or less varied. A face can appear neutral during events that would…Continue Reading
Vocal expression includes changes in pitch, rhythm, loudness and emphasis that convey emotion. In blunted affect, speech may sound relatively flat or monotonous even when its meaning is clear. The person may describe an important…Continue Reading
Loose associations describe speech in which connections between ideas become weak or difficult for a listener to follow. A person may move from one topic to another through links that feel meaningful internally but are…Continue Reading
Reduced pleasure is called anhedonia. In schizophrenia, difficulty anticipating enjoyment can be more pronounced than an inability to enjoy something while it happens. Someone may predict that a meal or visit will be unrewarding, then…Continue Reading
Tangential speech moves away from a question or topic and does not return to provide the requested answer. Someone asked about an appointment might describe the bus route, the weather and a childhood memory without…Continue Reading