A term used to describe a person’s mood. The 2 extremes of affect are elation and depression. A person who experiences extreme moods or changes in moods may have an affective disorder. Shallow or reduced affect may be a sign of schizophrenia or of an organic brain syndrome.
n. (in psychiatry) 1. the predominant emotion in a person’s mental state at a particular moment. Blunted affect is a diminished intensity of emotional response; it is a feature of some forms of chronic *schizophrenia. Flat affect is an inability to respond emotionally despite the presence of emotions. It is commonly seen in depression. Incongruent affect describes an inappropriate emotional response to a situation (e.g. laughing at a funeral) and may be seen in psychotic illnesses. 2. the emotion associated with a particular idea. —affective adj.
Known colloquially as SADS, this is a disorder in which an affected individual’s mood changes with the seasons. He or she is commonly depressed in winter, picking up again in the spring. The diagnosis is controversial and its prevalence is not known. The mood-change is probably related to light, with MELATONIN playing a key role. (See also MENTAL ILLNESS.)... seasonal affective disorder syndrome
a state of disordered mood that combines elements of *mania and *depression; it is a common feature of *bipolar affective disorder. Symptoms include overactivity, flight of ideas, depressed mood, and suicidal *ideation.... mixed affective state
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