Stability of emotional responding in schizophrenia

Empirical research has shown that schizophrenic patients exhibit fewer faci al expressions yet report experiencing similar levels of emotions compared to nonpatients. However, it remains unclear whether medication dampens expr essivity or other components of emotional responding and whether emotional responding is stable across time. In this study, schizophrenic patients vie wed emotionally evocative stimuli and participated in a clinical interview on two occasions: when they were off- and on-medication. Medication did not significantly affect any component of emotional responding among patients. Moreover, both schizophrenic patients' and nonpatient controls' expressivi ty and reports of emotional experience were significantly correlated at the two tests, suggesting that emotional responding is stable across time. Imp lications for understanding emotional responding in schizophrenia are also discussed.