Anhedonia. Depressive versus negative symptom
Introduction Anhedonia is a symptom usually, and probably simplistically, defined as the inability to experience pleasure. It is considered one of the core symptoms of depression and a negative symptom of schizophrenia. Objectives We intend to explore whether previous studies found common or dissi...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2022-06-01
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| Series: | European Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933822005703/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1827754481443405824 |
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| author | T. Reynolds De Sousa M. Ribeiro A. Lourenço F. Novais |
| author_facet | T. Reynolds De Sousa M. Ribeiro A. Lourenço F. Novais |
| author_sort | T. Reynolds De Sousa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Introduction
Anhedonia is a symptom usually, and probably simplistically, defined as the inability to experience pleasure. It is considered one of the core symptoms of depression and a negative symptom of schizophrenia.
Objectives
We intend to explore whether previous studies found common or dissimilar experiences of anhedonia in depression and schizophrenia.
Methods
We performed a review of the published literature on the subject using PubMed. We conducted a search using ‘anhedonia’, ‘schizophrenia’, and ‘depression’ as keywords.
Results
There is different and diverging evidence on the matter. Historical reports associated schizophrenia with trait anhedonia, and depression with state anhedonia. More recently, some authors correlated appetitive anhedonia (lack of interest/desire) with schizophrenia, and consummatory anhedonia (lack of pleasure/enjoyment) with depression, but this was not corroborated by other studies. However, in line with it, there are findings of a normal physiological response to pleasurable stimuli among schizophrenics. Some authors propose that, in schizophrenia, this symptom might not represent an inability to feel pleasure but rather a deficient expression of its experience, as a part of blunted affect. Reward models highlight a deficit in reward learning in depression, but disorganization of reward processing and a focus on irrelevant clues in schizophrenia, which prevent patients from pursuing a pleasurable experience.
Conclusions
There are still limited studies comparing the experience of anhedonia in depression and schizophrenia. There seem to be significant differences between the two, but further studies are needed. In particular, this could be important in screening schizophrenic patients for depression.
Disclosure
No significant relationships.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:49:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d7d26c8c7f794d2f8271fa95a727f736 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0924-9338 1778-3585 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:49:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-d7d26c8c7f794d2f8271fa95a727f7362023-11-17T05:06:58ZengCambridge University PressEuropean Psychiatry0924-93381778-35852022-06-0165S219S21910.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.570Anhedonia. Depressive versus negative symptomT. Reynolds De Sousa0M. Ribeiro1A. Lourenço2F. Novais3Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Psychiatry, Lisboa, PortugalCentro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Psychiatry, Lisboa, PortugalCentro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Psychiatry, Lisboa, PortugalCentro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Psychiatry, Lisboa, Portugal Introduction Anhedonia is a symptom usually, and probably simplistically, defined as the inability to experience pleasure. It is considered one of the core symptoms of depression and a negative symptom of schizophrenia. Objectives We intend to explore whether previous studies found common or dissimilar experiences of anhedonia in depression and schizophrenia. Methods We performed a review of the published literature on the subject using PubMed. We conducted a search using ‘anhedonia’, ‘schizophrenia’, and ‘depression’ as keywords. Results There is different and diverging evidence on the matter. Historical reports associated schizophrenia with trait anhedonia, and depression with state anhedonia. More recently, some authors correlated appetitive anhedonia (lack of interest/desire) with schizophrenia, and consummatory anhedonia (lack of pleasure/enjoyment) with depression, but this was not corroborated by other studies. However, in line with it, there are findings of a normal physiological response to pleasurable stimuli among schizophrenics. Some authors propose that, in schizophrenia, this symptom might not represent an inability to feel pleasure but rather a deficient expression of its experience, as a part of blunted affect. Reward models highlight a deficit in reward learning in depression, but disorganization of reward processing and a focus on irrelevant clues in schizophrenia, which prevent patients from pursuing a pleasurable experience. Conclusions There are still limited studies comparing the experience of anhedonia in depression and schizophrenia. There seem to be significant differences between the two, but further studies are needed. In particular, this could be important in screening schizophrenic patients for depression. Disclosure No significant relationships. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933822005703/type/journal_articleanhedonianegative symptomschizophréniaDepression |
| spellingShingle | T. Reynolds De Sousa M. Ribeiro A. Lourenço F. Novais Anhedonia. Depressive versus negative symptom European Psychiatry anhedonia negative symptom schizophrénia Depression |
| title | Anhedonia. Depressive versus negative symptom |
| title_full | Anhedonia. Depressive versus negative symptom |
| title_fullStr | Anhedonia. Depressive versus negative symptom |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anhedonia. Depressive versus negative symptom |
| title_short | Anhedonia. Depressive versus negative symptom |
| title_sort | anhedonia depressive versus negative symptom |
| topic | anhedonia negative symptom schizophrénia Depression |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933822005703/type/journal_article |
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