Which term best describes reduced capacity to experience pleasure?

Which term best describes reduced capacity to experience pleasure?

• A. Anhedonia
• B. Fatigue
• C. Depressed mood
• D. Significant weight change

Answer: (A)

Anhedonia is the diminished ability to experience pleasure or derive satisfaction from activities that are normally rewarding. In schizophrenia, it appears as a negative symptom—the person may not feel pleasure even when circumstances would typically be enjoyable, and this can occur across social, recreational, and sensory experiences. This is distinct from depressed mood, which is an ongoing feeling of sadness; from fatigue, which relates to low energy or motivation; and from significant weight changes, which involve metabolic or medical factors rather than the capacity to feel pleasure. By capturing the specific loss of hedonic experience, anhedonia best describes the symptom described in the question.

Anhedonia is the diminished ability to experience pleasure or derive satisfaction from activities that are normally rewarding. In schizophrenia, it appears as a negative symptom—the person may not feel pleasure even when circumstances would typically be enjoyable, and this can occur across social, recreational, and sensory experiences. This is distinct from depressed mood, which is an ongoing feeling of sadness; from fatigue, which relates to low energy or motivation; and from significant weight changes, which involve metabolic or medical factors rather than the capacity to feel pleasure. By capturing the specific loss of hedonic experience, anhedonia best describes the symptom described in the question.