I thought I had a great range of expression, but those closest to me tell me I always look miserable, never smile, never show joy, talk calmly without fluctuation.
I guess my range of expression is internalized. I also tend to stare blankly a lot without blinking. I’m aware of it, but I’m not thinking about anything, so I’m not having a seizure or anything like that.
Do any of you have this. I’ve been thinking for awhile that I have paranoid schizophrenia, not schizoaffective disorder. I have no symptoms of bipolar other than depression. How do I suggest this to my doctor?
can any paranoid sz’s tell me their symptoms?
Anyway, back to the blunted affect and staring, anyone?
I get a restricted effect intermittently. Can’t express with voice complete monotone it’s so annoying. Lately it hasn’t reared it’s ugly head though so that’s good.
I can’t say I have complete blunted effect. By that I mean I find it hard to have a big emotional reaction to positive things but can be the opposite when reacting to aversive/negative things. Also for neutral things I am quite emotionally muted.
Yes. I have the blunted affect big time. When I talk to people I go rigid and start talking in a monotone, and they start yawning. It’s terribly frustrating. When you get to the bottom if it, my anxiety is just a bore, being so afraid of nothing. Most of the time there is nothing out there that can hurt me, and yet I’m still so anxious. It’s a colossal bore.
I don’t smile that much. I don’t like showing my bad teeth. Even when I did have better teeth I’ve looked at pictures of me smiling and it doesn’t look natural. It’s as though I’m slightly gone out.
It never was that way before I got ill.
