Blunted Emotion

Understanding and knowing how to respond to someone’s feelings can be a very challenging thing. We have all been in situations where we did not understand another’s emotional response. Odds are, if you are reading this article, that you are more than familiar with this situation. Those afflicted with Alzheimer’s or dementia show difficulty with emotional expression, as well as mental process. This article provides information on a recent study through The University of Florida, and explores what is to be learned from this report.

Patients that suffer a progressive brain disorder are known to experience cognitive decline. It’s obvious to the caretaker that the regular mental process is disrupted. What new studies suggest is that Alzheimer’s may also inhibit those affected emotionally. The article has coined the phrase “blunted emotions”, meaning that the highs and lows of emotion have been lessened, leaving those experiencing this in a withdrawn and apathetic state. It is easy to see how emotional and mental decline would go hand in hand, and how one would certainly affect the other. The effect of blunted emotions is often confused with depression. Exactly why this occurs is not yet known, though it has been attributed to the decline of function is areas of the brain that experience/control emotion.

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AlzCare provides quality care and treatment for Alzheimer’s patients in Texas. Our main office is in New Braunfels, close to San Antonio. We also have offices in San Marcos, Victoria, Temple, and Waco.