Do most people have all the problems or just some? I don’t think I have apathy or anhedonia or social withdrawal, but my fatigue keeps me from doing school or work very well. Some symptoms improved over time and others I just never had. In general, what are you able to do or not do? I can go out and shower every day and show interest in books and the outdoors and appreciate life and go to social events and watch occasional movies, but my energy to clean house or do work is very low? I’m interested in knowing what it’s like for others, especially to empathize with other people in my support group. Some can study and do all sorts of activities, but seem to have brain fog too. Here is where I got a description of negative symptoms: https://www.livingwithschizophreniauk.org/advice-sheets/negative-symptoms-understanding/ there are others probably like lack of initiative to start something, brain fog/slowness. Please help by telling me how you are! Do you have everything but with different levels of severity? Do you think some of your symptoms went away with time? Have you improved despite negative symptoms not going away, and how?
I’d say I struggle most with anhedonia and apathy at times, but I got bits of social withdrawal, impaired attention, and lack of energy (which some times is solved by caffeine).
I was unsure about poverty of speech though, since it seems to be getting better for me and some days I don’t struggle to think of what to say to others and can provide good answers. However, quite a bit of days I find I can’t provide more than just “yeah” for example.
I think the impaired attention is getting better though, it’s hard to judge.
I have a lot of problems with social withdrawal mostly and some with lack of energy - I really have to push myself to get things done. I feel like the blunted emotions might be because of the meds and might be a good thing, since before the meds I would get really angry really quickly with my family and friends for things that were not true. So I sort of count it as a good thing. The apathy is disturbing mostly… I mean I just don’t care about my issues anymore. I just think “hmmm… that’s interesting” instead of “that’s bad news” even about things like that I might have dementia. Maybe the meds are too high dose.
i tend to exhibit negative symptoms which would fit under two headings, copy paste from wikipedia I have abulia which involves:
Difficulty in initiating and sustaining purposeful movements
Lack of spontaneous movement
Reduced spontaneous speech
Increased response-time to queries
Passivity
Reduced emotional responsiveness and spontaneity
Reduced social interactions
Reduced interest in usual pastimes
i also suffer from poverty of speech and anhedonia which could be attributed to abulia
