psychopathology: deficit syndrome

Although this term may have been used first by psychiatrist William Carpenter in reference to schizophrenia, it can be applied to a variety of other neuropsychiatric entities in which absence or attenuation of a normal function (rather than addition of a symptom) is an essential characteristic. Apathy, fatigue, loss of purpose or motivation, affective blunting, and impairment of certain executive functions may be included.

Also: negative symptoms

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