Anhedonia in Depression and Schizophrenia: A Reexamination

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to utilize factor analysis to help determine whether anhedonia is a symptom of both depression and schizophrenia. Measures of depression, positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and anhedonia were administered to a group of schizophrenic patients (N = 54) and to a group of patients with major depressive disorder (N = 27). The correlation matrix among the various scales was subjected to an oblique exploratory factor analysis. Three factors were extracted, accounting for three quarters of the variance. The first measured depression, the second measured positive symptoms, and the third measured negative symptoms. Anhedonia loaded significantly on the first factor but not on the third, suggesting that it is a symptom of depression rather than schizophrenia. These results were corroborated by means of confirmatory factor analysis. We conclude that anhedonia is a symptom of depression and that it only appears to be a symptom of schizophrenia because it is a component of emotional blunting which is indeed a negative symptom of schizophrenia.

The relationship between negative symptoms and depression in schizophrenia: a systematic review

“…Thirteen papers reported on samples from in‐patient units (), while nine of the studies examined patients in community settings . One study included participants from both in‐patient and out‐patient units, while the remaining four studies did not provide information on the source of the patient sample . The study sample sizes ranged from 42 to 921 participants, with a total number of 3062.…”

“…Previous models have conceptualised depression and negative symptoms as belonging to distinct and separate clinical syndromes . Within a dimensional approach to psychoses, a model of overlapping domains with distinct presentations allows further exploration of the heterogeneity involved.…”

Analysis of licking microstructure provides no evidence for a reduction in reward value following acute or sub-chronic phencyclidine administration

“…On the other hand, the occurrence of cognitive deficits without the negative symptom of anhedonia may reflect an absence of anhedonia as a primary symptom of the disorder itself. This is an idea considered by several authors who suggest that individuals with schizophrenia experience amotivation (Foussias and Remington 2010) or a deficit in the ability to experience and express all emotions (emotional blunting; Romney and Candido 2001), rather than anhedonia per se.…”

Is Alexithymia Related to Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia?

“…a markedly reduced range of emotional expressiveness, and alogia, i.e. poverty of speech, are core features of the schizophrenia negative syndrome that are also common to depression [3][4][5] and alexithymia.…”