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Symposium

Basic processes and experimental psychopathology
Symposium

Symposium 23 - Assessment and Treatment of Anhedonia in Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, and Anorexia Nervosa

Friday, June 26, 2026
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM PDT
Location: Yerba Buena Salon 6, B3 Level
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Anorexia, CBT, Assessment
Level of Familiarity: Basic
Recommended Readings: Dolan, S. C., Khindri, R., Franko, D. L., Thomas, J. J., Reilly, E. E., & Eddy, K. T. (2022). Anhedonia in eating disorders: A meta‐analysis and systematic review. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 55(2), 161–175. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23645,   Craske, M. G., Meuret, A. E., Ritz, T., Treanor, M., Dour, H., & Rosenfield, D. (2019). Positive affect treatment for depression and anxiety: A randomized clinical trial for a core feature of anhedonia. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 87(5), 457–471. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000396,   Culbreth, A. J., Barch, D. M., Nepal, S., Ben-Zeev, D., Campbell, A., & Moran, E. K. (n.d.). Passive Sensing of Anhedonia and Amotivation in a Transdiagnostic Sample.,   ,  

This symposium features three empirical papers on the topic of anhedonia and commentary on the papers by a senior investigator who recently developed a new CBT to increase positive affect. The first paper, presented by an early career academic at a midwestern university, presents data looking at anhedonia om schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and healthy controls using a multi-method approach, including assessment via clinical interviews and real-time ecological momentary assessment EMA) ratings. She reports data indicating that EMA provides more nuanced information about anhedonia that may improve diagnostic precision and strengthen personalized treatment. The second presenter is a clinical psychology trainee at University of California San Francisco; she presents her data examining the relationship between anhedonia and reinforcement functions of restrictive eating in anorexia nervosa. She reports that global depression severity rather than anhedonia specifically may motivate reinforcement processes from restrictive eating. The final paper is by a group of investigators that includes two senior investigators, an early career scientist and a postbaccalaureate student, including an academic and 3 investigators who work in a clinical setting. Their paper presents longitudinal data from three samples of depressed patients treated with CBT, a naturalistic sample of patients treated in routine practice and two samples of patients treated in randomized controlled trials. The investigators assess changes in anhedonia in all 3 of the samples and changes in high energy positive affect in the naturalistic sample. They report that depressed patients treated with CBT appear to show improvements in symptoms of anhedonia but do not change in high energy positive affect.

Learning Objectives:

  • Name 4 disorders that include symptoms of anhedonia as part of their symptom picture.
  • Describe two assessment strategies that are useful for assessing anhedonia.
  • State whether symptoms of anhedonia typically change during CBT for depression

Presentations:

  • 9:03 AM - 9:32 AM PDT
    (SYM23) Examining Anhedonia in the Daily Lives of Those with Depression, Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia

    Speaker: Erin Moran, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Washington University in St. Louis

    Co-Author: Adam Culbreth, PhD (he/him/his) – University of Maryland School of Medicine

    Co-Author: Deanna Barch, PhD (she/her/hers) – Washington University in St. Louis

  • 9:32 AM - 10:01 AM PDT
    (SYM23) Anhedonia, Depression, and Functions of Restrictive Eating in Anorexia Nervosa

    Speaker: Sarah Dolan, M.A. (she/her/hers) – University of California San Francisco

    Co-Author: Kira Venables, B.A. (she/her/hers) – Virginia Commonwealth University

    Co-Author: Lisa M. Anderson, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Minnesota Medical School

    Co-Author: Scott Crow, MD – University Minnesota Medical School

    Co-Author: Ann F. Haynos, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Virginia Commonwealth University

  • 10:01 AM - 10:30 AM PDT
    (SYM23) CBT for Depression Reduces Symptoms of Anhedonia but Does Not Increase Positive Affect

    Speaker: Jacqueline B. Persons, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Oakland Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center

    Co-Author: Ann Kring, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of California, Berkeley

    Co-Author: Garret G. Zieve, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Oakland Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center

    Co-Author: Mateo Lopez, B. A. (he/him/his) – Oakland Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center