Blunted Affect: Definition, Symptoms, & Treatments

What Is Blunted Affect?

Blunted affect means being less reactive or responsive to situations, emotions, and stimulation. Those experiencing blunted affect exhibit restricted facial expressions, bodily movements, energy levels, and speech tones.²

For example, individuals may barely smile after hearing exciting news or experience tragedy without shedding a tear. Blunted affect often stems from a mental or physical health condition. However, other factors, such as substance use, can contribute to these symptoms.

Affect Vs. Mood

Affect refers to a perceivable and noticeable reflection of emotional states. Affect differs from mood because mood includes subjective, individual, and internal experiences. Affect is an external expression that can change rapidly. Affect is like “weather,” frequently shifting with high variability. Mood is more like a sustained and persistent “climate.”¹

Affect may not accurately reflect emotions. Some mental or medical conditions will result in incongruent affects, meaning a person could feel happy and content but appear down or sad.²

Blunted Affect Vs. Flat Affect

While blunted and flat affect sound similar, they are too different symptoms. Flat affect represents an absence of expression, no matter how happy or sad the experience. Conversely, blunted affect relates to a decreased emotional range, and individuals may still exhibit mild reactions.

Blunted Affect on the Spectrum of Affect

Individuals exhibit affect differently depending on their personality, situation, and other factors. As mentioned, these expressions vary and change constantly.

Terms used to describe the spectrum of affect include:¹

• Full or broad affect: This describes someone whose emotional reaction changes in typical or expected ways. They appear happy or sad based on their internal feelings. Full affect is a happy balance in the middle of the affective spectrum.
• Flat affect: Flat affect is the lack of emotional expression.
• Labile affect: People with labile affect display frequent, excessive, and unpredictable shifts in expression. A seemingly minor situational change could trigger a significant and disproportionate affect change.
• Inappropriate affect: This type of affect occurs when presentations do not match the situation. For example, a person laughs uncontrollably after reporting feeling sad and depressed.
• Constricted affect: Someone experiencing constricted or restricted affect will exhibit a mild reduction in affect. This type will be closer to broad affect than to flat affect.
• Blunted affect:People with a blunted affect will display a significant reduction in emotional expression. Their presentation will not be flat, but they will show a significant decrease in range and responsiveness.

Signs of Blunted Affect

Blunted affect is a symptom of a potentially larger issue, such as specific physiological and psychological disorders. Unlike other mental health symptoms, the individual will not have the best insight into or explanation of their affect.

Common signs of blunted affect include:^1,2

• Diminished facial expressions: Someone with blunted affect could display only minimal movements rather than smiling, frowning, or showing other clear indicators of feelings.
• Decreased expressive gestures: Some people will use their whole bodies to communicate. People with blunted affect will appear more still and subdued, often only slightly moving their hands, arms, and other body parts.
• Limited vocal expression: Voices naturally change in volume, rate, or tone, especially when someone is excited or distressed. A person with blunted affect will sound more static, no matter the subject.
• Lower energy levels: Blunted affect can spread throughout the entire body as a person will often appear with lower energy and a limited ability to feel motivated or energized.

Causes of Blunted Affect

Numerous situational and significant stressors can impact affect because the expression of internal feelings is flexible and fluid. Some people may shift affect because they are overly tired. Others may experience an underlying mental or physical health condition.

Causes of blunted affect include:^1,2,3,4,5,

• Autism: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has the power to shift affect into all possible categories, including blunted.
• Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders frequently result in blunted affect. Individuals may show a blunted, restricted, or flat affect based on the degree of their condition.
• Depression: Affect can be an appropriate way to measure depression. Affect range tends to decrease as symptoms increase. Someone with blunted affect could be experiencing moderate or severe depression.
• Reactive attachment disorder (RAD): RAD is a condition caused by inconsistent, problematic, or limited parental involvement during childhood. A person may struggle with desired affects later in life without these valuable interactions.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): PTSD can force people toward extremes, with some being on edge and overly aroused, while others note lower responses to stimulation. Many of the second group could project blunted affect.
• Personality disorders: Personality disorders are long-term conditions that drastically impact the ability to relate to others and function in the world. A blunted affect is often the outcome of these conditions.
• Neurocognitive disorders: Conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s impact the brain along with emotional expression. People could show a slow and gradual decline toward blunted affect.
• Brain injury: Like neurocognitive disorders, brain injuries can result in blunted affect. Depending on the accident or injury, the symptom may present suddenly rather than slowly, as seen in neurocognitive issues.
• Medication side effects: Some medications, especially antipsychotics, could produce a blunted affect. At times, this symptom is indistinguishable from a blunted affect caused by another source.
• Marijuana/cannabis: The psychoactive ingredient in marijuana produces numerous symptoms, including blunted affect.
• Opioids: Similarly, a person highly intoxicated on opioids could display limited reactivity and affectual responses to situations or stimulation. Expected affect will likely return as drug effects diminish.
• Stimulants: Stimulant withdrawal can also result in blunted affect.

How Is Blunted Affect Measured?

Distinguishing flat, blunted, and restricted affect can be complicated and somewhat subjective. To best categorize the symptom, mental health experts will assess all facets impacted by changed affect and find the appropriate label. Like other psychological symptoms, affect can shift readily. A person could have a blunted affect today and broad affect tomorrow. Tracking and documenting the changes over time will help offer a complete clinical picture.

Treatment for Blunted Affect

Blunted affect is often a sign of an underlying condition, meaning treatment should target the associated cause. In some situations, blunted affect does not require treatment, like with autism. The individual and their family may understand and accept the source of their symptom and view the attempt to change as unnecessary or even negative.

Blunted affect caused by substance abuse or medication side effects can drastically improve as the person stops or modifies their use. In other cases, the signs of blunted affect will diminish when the body processes and eliminates the substance from the system.^1,5

For medication-induced blunted affect, a person should always work with their prescriber before adjusting their recommended dose and usage. Only a professional can provide accurate information about possible side effects or advice for tapering medication.

A person with blunted affect linked to a mental health condition may benefit from therapy and medication management to address and improve their mood, energy, motivation, and optimism. Therapists can help individuals cope with their struggles and find healthy coping skills to manage symptoms. Finding the right therapist is essential, and you can start your search on an online therapist directory.

Final Thoughts

Although effectual changes may be difficult to understand and overcome, therapy, medication adjustments, and reaching out to your support network can help tremendously. Feeling well and having a broad affect you desire is within your reach.