Flat Affect in Schizophrenia Symptoms and Treatment

Flat Affect in Schizophrenia Symptoms and Treatment Schizophrenia Print Schizophrenia and the Flat Affect How to Recognize Impaired Emotional Functioning and Minimize Symptoms By Catherine Harrison, PhD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on August 05, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on January 05, 2020 Schizophrenia Overview Symptoms & Diagnosis Causes & Risk Factors Treatment Living With In Children David Ryle / Getty Images In This Article Table of Contents Expand Causes Symptoms and Impact Treatment Coping and Support View All Flat affect (diminished emotional expression) is a hallmark symptom of schizophrenia, although it may also affect those with other conditions. It is a lack of showing emotion characterized by an apathetic and unchanging facial expression and little or no change in the strength, tone, or pitch of the voice. This extremely limited range of expressions occurs even in situations that would normally seem very exciting or very sad. For instance, upon hearing the great news, someone with schizophrenia may not smile, laugh, or have any joy in their response. Flat affect is more common among men than women and is often present during the onset of schizophrenia.?? Causes Although millions of people are affected by flat affect, scientists are not entirely sure of the exact cause. It is hypothesized that it is due to differences in brain functioningâ€"and some of the neurocognitive deficiencies that accompany schizophrenia.?? Does Schizophrenia Alter the Thinking Process? More often than not, flat affect is an underlying symptom of several conditionsâ€"not just schizophrenia. It may even be a side-effect of certain medications, including antidepressants. Conditions linked to the flat affect include:?? AutismBrain damageDepressionParkinsons diseasePost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)Muscle disorders or facial paralysis Symptoms and Impact If you have been affected by flat affect, you may find that it negatively impacts your social functioning.?? People can respond negatively to the way you react in a situation or conversation, leading to the assumption that you are cold or unfeeling when thats not true. Signs of Flat Affect Monotone or flat voice with no modulation or expressionLack of eye contactLack of discernible interest in the topic at handNo changes in facial expression regardless of the circumstance (neutral expression)Lack of verbal response to emotional stimuliBody language or non-verbal responses that are not typical to the experience, conversation, or situation at hand Its important to note that while you may have trouble displaying emotion, many people with schizophrenia have no difficulty recognizing emotional responses in others. This is an important factor in working with your doctor to define a treatment plan, as it gives you a foundation to build on to create appropriate social exchanges. How to Recognize Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia Treatment Treatment for flat affect often depends on the underlying cause. A plan of action should begin by consulting with a psychologist or psychiatrist who diagnoses and treats mental health conditions. Flat affect can be treated to some degree. It often requires comprehensive therapy, including working with a healthcare provider and taking medication. While it often cannot be completely eliminated, therapy and intervention can help you interact with others more warmly and naturally and get your other symptoms of schizophrenia under control.?? Get Support With the 9 Best Online Therapy Programs Therapy and Intervention Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is one of the most researched models of therapy used in the treatment of schizophrenia. CBT can help people with flat affect begin to recognize how their emotionless response does not match what is required in a specific situation.?? Your therapist may have you practice appropriate reactions to different stimuli (like grief or celebration) so that you can learn how to react as other people do. Social skills training, a type of behavioral therapy, can also be used to teach people with schizophrenia to express feelings and needs, ask questions, and control their voice,  body, and facial expressions.Speech therapy can help with tone and modulation of voice to convey more emotion. How Behavioral Therapy Is Used in Psychology Medication In addition to evaluating your medicationâ€"since some meds can cause flat affectâ€"your mental health provider can prescribe antipsychotic medications to control  symptoms of schizophrenia, including delusions and hallucinations. Typical antipsychotics function by blocking receptors for dopamine. The newer atypical antipsychotics also influence other neurotransmitters in the brain and may help with a flat affect. Clozaril (clozapine) is one of these agents shown to help combat flat affect in people with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses for which this is a concern.?? Atypical Antipsychotics Prescribed to Treat Schizophrenia Coping and Support for Caregivers Caring for a loved one who is suffering from flat affect is challenging. Its much more than dealing with a loved one who tends to be cold. Its not a personality trait. This symptom of schizophrenia makes it impossible for your loved one to translate emotion into a verbal or physical expression. The brain and body are not connecting. While he or she may be unable to express his or her emotions, your emotions are likely in overdrive as you struggle to come to terms with this symptom of schizophrenia. Continuing to educate yourself on the condition and the experiences your loved one will face is one of the most important ways to cope. Gathering information can help you better understand what to expect and what you can do to help. Although your primary focus is on supporting your loved one, its also important to remember to help yourself. This means seeking support from local or online groups, a mental health provider, or a trusted friend or family member. Sharing your experiences and challenges can help you process your emotions and give you encouragement and hope. You may also gain helpful information about new or progressive treatment methods as well as other resources to help your loved one.

How to Write a High School Student Essay Sample

<h1>How to Write a High School Student Essay Sample</h1><p>High school understudy article tests are ordinarily given striving for understudies, anxious to find out about composition for the school paper. These article models are composed from the point of view of an understudy utilizing their own words and contemplations so as to feature their own thoughts in an interesting way. Composing a quality secondary school understudy exposition test takes a great deal of thought and time.</p><p></p><p>You must recall that a significant piece of your secondary school understudy article test is ensuring that you discover something that will interest the requirements of the peruser. To start with, consistently recall that this paper ought to be centered around the crowd that you will compose for. For instance, on the off chance that you are composing for the English Department, you should concentrate on English as a language. Second, your exposition sho uld address your subject with care.</p><p></p><p>When it comes to composing for secondary school understudy paper tests, don't give them excessively point by point data about your instruction. You need to permit the peruser to settle on their own choices about your paper. So be sure about what your topic is, yet allowed them to choose if they have any inquiries or worries about it. Try not to keep them speculating regarding the matter, particularly in the start of your writing.</p><p></p><p>When composing for secondary school understudy paper tests, consistently attempt to incorporate what you are expounding on. It is critical to tell the peruser where you are centering your composition. For instance, on the off chance that you are expounding on baseball, you should incorporate measurements about baseball players and other significant things identified with baseball. You may likewise need to incorporate a pertinent games story that you may have heard elsewhere, however don't let your article turns into a section of composed passages. Ensure that you stick to one topic, yet keep your contemplations flowing.</p><p></p><p>Now that you have arrived at the point recorded as a hard copy for secondary school understudy article tests, you may consider composing an example paper about your own life. A decent method to do this is to remember an area for how you got inspired by the subject. Explain to the peruser why you are expounding on the point in any case. Try not to reveal to them since you are composing for a class or for the papers, however disclose to them why you need to expound on the subject. This will give them a brief look into your character and how you think.</p><p></p><p>Sometimes, composing for secondary school understudy exposition tests can be a touch of overpowering for understudies. To facilitate the progress for understudies, you can present your subject such that gives them the general thought, without a great deal of explicit subtleties. And afterward they can choose what they need to write.</p><p></p><p>Be cautious about remembering the entirety of the points for secondary school understudy exposition tests that you may have been told. This can cause a lot of disarray, and nobody will ever have the option to comprehend your article. So stick to one subject and remain centered. Composing secondary school understudy paper tests can be an extraordinary encounter, so don't be reluctant to place some idea into them.</p>

Social Science Topics For Research Papers

<h1>Social Science Topics For Research Papers</h1><p>Finding themes for examine papers can be a serious test for anybody. One approach to limit your choice is to consider how you can concentrate your paper on a portion of the fundamental territories of intrigue and information. When you have done this, at that point it ought to be simpler to locate the correct subjects that you can use to compose about.</p><p></p><p>One of the main zones you will need to consider when attempting to limit sociology themes for investigate papers is human association. The most widely recognized wellspring of data for some individuals today is the web, particularly as it identifies with individuals and connections. Accordingly, you will need to ensure you incorporate a prologue to the theme and afterward get to the meat of the issue with some clarification of what relationship is and how they work. This will be helpful for responding to a considerable lot of the inquiries that understudies and others may have.</p><p></p><p>Another significant segment of any paper is the investigation of wellbeing and medication. To the extent wellbeing goes, it tends to be utilized in a wide range of circumstances. In the event that you are considering the wellbeing of individuals living in a specific nation, locale, or city, at that point this might be one of the regions you wish to consider. You will need to make certain to incorporate some data about the basic sicknesses and disease that can influence people and furthermore the endeavors that have been made to control them over time.</p><p></p><p>Education can likewise be concentrated from multiple points of view. Some sociology themes for examine papers manage the training of youngsters and the progressions that have occurred after some time. One case of this is the effect of the two unique kinds of instruction on youngsters. You will need to expound on an y issues of instructing and discovering that are appropriate to your current subject.</p><p></p><p>History is likewise one of the various sorts of studies that might be remembered for a paper. You may decide to concentrate on periods in history that are of specific importanceor that have uncommon significance for an individual or gathering. In the event that you have companions that follow history intently, at that point it might be a smart thought to utilize their viewpoints recorded as a hard copy about history. This will assist you with seeing how individuals see their past and why it is essential to individuals today.</p><p></p><p>Scientific strategies are likewise very well known and can be utilized in a wide range of papers. You might be utilizing logical techniques to mention objective facts and to make sense of the operations of nature. Science can likewise be utilized in different conditions, for example, considering the stren gth of a nation or locale. You will need to ensure that you incorporate some data about such things as seismic tremors and tornadoes to help with the advancement of the study.</p><p></p><p>The three mainstream subjects above are the most well known decisions with regards to discovering points for explore papers. Likewise, there are additionally different choices that are less normal however can be utilized now and again. Obviously, these should all be considered before picking a subject for your paper.</p><p></p><p>To help you in narrowing down your potential themes, there are various assets that can assist you with looking into and consider the different choices. One such asset is the web, and it is the most ideal approach to begin searching for the best data. You can look through various changed sites to get thoughts regarding what you should expound on, and when you have limited your choices, at that point you will be prepared to be gin composing your paper.</p>