Disorders of Emotion

Prachi Bhavesh SanghviI M.Sc Clinical Psychology

St. Agnes Centre for Post-Graduate Studies and Research

Prachi Sanghvi, M. Sc. Clinical Psychology

Normal emotional responses result from the events lying within the cultural and social norms.

Abnormal emotional responses are understandable but excessive responses of a normal kind.

Morbid expression of emotions differ from abnormal expressions in that the person is unaware of the abnormality even though it is apparent to observers.

Prachi Sanghvi, M. Sc. Clinical Psychology

•Abnormal emotional predispositions•Abnormal emotional reactions•Abnormal expressions of emotion•Morbid disorders of emotion•Morbid expressions of emotion

Prachi Sanghvi, M. Sc. Clinical Psychology

Parathymia (Blunting of Affect)

Disturbance of affect manifested by a severe reduction in the intensity of externalized feeling tone.

In mild form, it shows itself as recently acquired insensitivity to the subtleties of social interaction.

It manifests itself as social awkwardness and inappropriateness.

Flattening of Affect

More severe form of emotional constriction evident by absence of emotional response to a situation that normally elicits emotion.

In depressive patients, low mood may be confused with flattening of affect.

Both blunting and flattening occur in schizophrenia.

Stiffening of Affect

The emotional response is congruent initially, but does not change as the situation changes. Prachi Sanghvi, M. Sc. Clinical Psychology

Prachi Sanghvi, M. Sc. Clinical Psychology

Incongruity of Affect

Misdirection of emotions so that an indifferent event may produce a severe emotional outburst, while an emotionally charged event has no effect on the patient’s emotional response.

This might be a congruent response to the distorted environment associated with delusions and other psychotic phenomena experienced by schizophrenics.

Prachi Sanghvi, M. Sc. Clinical Psychology

‘Smiling Depression’

Some patients with depression smile while recollecting a painful experience which may be mistaken for incongruity of affect or it may even mask the low mood, in the past called ‘masked’ or ‘smiling’ depression.

Unless the person is overwhelmed by their miseries or suffering from psychomotor retardation, they can produce a smile to conceal sadness.

These patients are particularly sensitive about ideas of guilt. They may burst into tears when the examiner sympathizes with them.

Prachi Sanghvi, M. Sc. Clinical Psychology

Lability of Affect

Rapid and abrupt changes in emotion largely unrelated to external stimuli. These shifts occur without warning.

Found in borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder and in mania where short bursts of weeping maybe present.

It may also be a feature in organic brain disease following damage to the frontal lobe or cerebrovascular accidents.

Prachi Sanghvi, M. Sc. Clinical Psychology

Affective Incontinence

In emotional lability patients have difficulty controlling their emotions, but in affective incontinence there is total loss of control.

It is usually an unprovoked emotion that does not have an apparent objective.

Common in cerebral atherosclerosis and multiple sclerosis where spontaneous outbursts of laughter or crying occur.

Prachi Sanghvi, M. Sc. Clinical Psychology

When it occurs in epilepsy it is known as gelastic epilepsy. It can also occur in focal brain injury. In severe form, ‘forced laughing’ and ‘forced weeping’ are used to describe this condition.

No connection between the emotional expression and the subjective feelings.

Prachi Sanghvi, M. Sc. Clinical Psychology

References

Ameen S. A Companion to Fish’s Clinical Psychopathology.

Hamilton M. (1994). Fish’s Clinical Psychopathology. Varghese Publishing House, Bombay.

Oyebode F. (2010). Sims’ Symptoms in the Mind; An Introduction to Descriptive Psychopathology. Rajkamal Electric Press, Kundli.