I’m a strong believer that a good percentage of negative symptoms, anhedonia in particular, come from antipsychotic use, not just the disorder itself.
I know that last time I came off antipsychotics, I started to enjoy video games much more again, for example. Unfortunately, I also went nutto after awhile.
Now since i am stable on antipsychotics again, i often find it hard to enjoy them, even though I am at the lowest dose of my injection.
I have no doubt that some of negative symptoms are disorder related, but I don’t think I can ignore my own experience with antipsychotics, reduced, off of , and on.
I can definitely see a correlation there.
Which is one reason why it is so tempting for some, including me previously, to try to get off them or reduce. But I wont do it again. Where you end up without them is much worse than struggling to find ways to get some enjoyment, IMO.
I was told a very similar thing at my first appointment after moving to Wiltshire.
I had kind of a “honeymoon phase” when I reduced and could enjoy things more. But paranoia from reduction led me to get off them completely.
You can’t enjoy things much when your in fear for your life and believe you might be in a simulation either.
So it’s kind of a choice between losing something and losing everything.