Negative symptom flattening effect

do any of you get a flattening effect? I seem to get a flat effect of emotions being flat. and also my speaking voice is flat (i have no vocal range when speaking)

this comes and goes for me, it can go for several weeks at a time or several days it really has no pattern.

id also mention it wouldn’t be a medication side effect because i do not take antipsychotics

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mrs. sith said the same thing has happened to me…to be honest i don’t remember much of my illness…
it is all a depressive blur…!?!
it will go…it did for me…mrs. sith said it was worse when i was tired and stressed.
take care :alien:

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Very common for me. But I can never figure out where the withdrawals starts and when the depression comes in or visa versa. So struggle differentiating moods with the thought process of SZ often. I guess it’s all relative anyway.

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Yeah , i think my flat effect comes first, then later i just get depressed about the fact that i am stuck in the flat mode.

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thanks sith , that give me hope

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When I speak to other people I go rigid and start talking in a monotone. Then they start yawning. It’s discouraging.

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I do get flattened… and it is odd how it does seem to come and go.

I think I get like this when I’m exhausted and overwhelmed. There are times… underneath the skin, I still feel stuff… but I guess on the external I look numb and uncaring. My family says… I look a bit immobile and waxy. That’s why I call it the wax build-up.

For now… I’m hitting a patch of unmotivated, numb detachment… and it’s been creeping up the past few days. I like people, but I really have to use a lot of effort to get going and do small things.

I’m told my eye contact is getting worse. I’m really hoping it’s just from being really tired lately and a good rest will bring me back.

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I also start to flatten out when I get too tired or overwhelmed. Sometimes I actually force myself to act out my emotions, consciously portraying them instead of having them naturally, so others don’t freak anyone out, it’s part of how I hid my symptoms for as long as I did. Of course, I have to be aware that I’m flattened to do that, and I don’t always realize it.

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Wow… I try to do that too… Sometimes that makes me much more tired.

I tried a forced smile a few weeks ago and tried to hide the wax build-up … my Gf thought I was having a tooth ache or her cooking was too chili pepper hot. :smile:

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I get that especially when I am stressed out and go blank and dead, I seem to switch off and get stuck then a few hours later seem to come right again after sleep and hubby’s supportive presence helps me.

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Heh, I have a lot of practice with acting, between hiding symptoms and pretending to be a guy for most of my life. It’s why I always got the villain role in all the acting gigs I ever had. That and it’s just fun to play the villain, you usually get a death scene, or at least a really good fight.

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When I am experiencing negative symptoms the only thing that seems to break me out of its grip is caffeine/coffee. Like today I could hardly wake up and was just sitting around like a zombie, convinced myself it was worth making coffee and I just drank the whole thing immediately and I feel better and able to function more.

So if there is a drug for negative symptoms I would say caffeine is one for me. Seems to help even if temporarily

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When I was on haldol I suffered from an inability to make facial gestures. My whole face was flat and inexpressive. Apparently this is a parkinsonian extra pyramidal side effect.

Wonder if a monotone voice is a similar thing?

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