Absence of affect in schizophrenia is known as-

Appeared in: RUHS, Jaipur, PB B.Sc Nursing Entrance-2022

Explanation

Apathy refers to a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern.
In schizophrenia, this manifests as a 'negative symptom', often observed as a blunted or flat affect, where the patient shows little to no emotional expression.
It is one of the '5 A's' (along with Alogia, Anhedonia, Avolition, and Asociality) used to describe the core negative symptoms of the disorder.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option B: Hypnosis is an induced trance-like state used in therapy for heightened suggestibility; it is not a naturally occurring symptom of schizophrenia.
Option C: Aphasia is a language disorder affecting comprehension or production, typically resulting from neurological damage like a stroke, not a primary psychiatric symptom of schizophrenia.
Option D: Euphoria is a state of intense happiness and is the opposite of apathy. It is a hallmark of manic episodes, not schizophrenia's negative symptoms.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Negative symptoms of schizophrenia as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Recognizing negative symptoms like apathy is crucial for nurses, as they are often more debilitating and less responsive to antipsychotic medication than positive symptoms (like hallucinations).
Negative symptoms significantly impact a patient's social and occupational functioning, requiring targeted psychosocial interventions, patient education, and family support.
What if? If a patient displayed euphoria instead of apathy, the nurse's primary assessment would shift from schizophrenia's negative symptoms to a possible manic episode (e.g., in bipolar disorder), requiring different immediate interventions such as ensuring safety due to impulsivity and providing a low-stimulus environment.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key term in the question: 'absence of affect'.
Recognize that this is a symptom related to the psychiatric disorder mentioned, schizophrenia.
Recall that symptoms of schizophrenia are categorized as positive (excess of function) and negative (loss of function). 'Absence of affect' is a loss of function.
Evaluate each option's definition: Apathy (lack of emotion), Hypnosis (induced state), Aphasia (language loss), and Euphoria (intense happiness).
Match the definition of 'absence of affect' to the most fitting term from the options, which is Apathy.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Negative symptoms of schizophrenia
Stem keywords: Absence of affect, schizophrenia
Lead-in keywords: known as
Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QctTdsl7rpawW10T1UBtVY

Reference Book

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 1091-1093

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) pp. 4730-4732, 3887-3889

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