Which term describes reduced emotional expression?

• A. Blunted Affect
• B. Flat Affect
• C. Labile Affect
• D. Neglect

Answer: (A)

Blunted affect describes diminished outward display of emotion—facial expression, voice, and gestures show less range and intensity than would be expected. In a mental status exam, you’re assessing affect to see how well a person’s emotional expression matches their internal state. When someone reports feeling sad or upset but remains with a neutral face, a monotone voice, and minimal expressive movement, that’s blunted affect. It’s less extreme than flat affect, where there’s essentially no emotional expression at all. Labile affect involves rapid, unpredictable shifts in emotion, which isn’t the pattern here. Neglect is about attention to stimuli, not emotional expression. So the term that best fits reduced emotional expression is blunted affect.