Affective and Perceptual Sphere

Affectivity and Clinical Alterations

Affectivity is described as Euthymic when it is preserved. Quantitative alterations are hypothymia (decrease) or hyperthymia (exaltation).

There are critical qualitative alterations: Affective lability (sudden and abrupt changes of emotion, such as "passing a switch"), Anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure, depressive trait) and Alexithymia (inability to recognize and express one's own emotions and those of others, trait associated with psychopathy or sociopathy).

Sensoperception Disorders

It is crucial to differentiate between illusion and hallucination. Illusion is the distorted perception of a real object (e.g., seeing a chair larger than it is or of a different color).

Hallucination is the perception of an object that does not exist in reality, and can be visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile or cenesthetic (e.g. seeing a "mango bush" inside the office where there is none).

Summary

Preserved affectivity is called Euthymia, but may present quantitative alterations such as hypothymia or hyperthymia. These variations indicate whether the mood is diminished or exalted relative to the expected norm.

Qualitative disturbances include Affective lability, abrupt changes of emotion, and Anhedonia, the inability to feel pleasure. Alexithymia prevents one from recognizing and expressing one's own emotions and those of others.

It is crucial to differentiate between Illusion, which is the distorted perception of a real object, and Hallucination. The latter involves perceiving non-existent objects, which can be visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile or kinesthetic.