The apathy it is a general lack or reduction of feelings, worries, interests and worries in a person. It is a state of indifference, in which states such as motivation, passion or enthusiasm practically disappear from the life of the individual.
In general, apathy also causes a person to lack a sense of purpose or worth. Thus, those who are in this flat emotional state have great difficulties in setting goals and meeting them. In general, in addition, they usually show symptoms of physical and mental fatigue, in addition to an apparent insensitivity.
Sometimes apathy appears related to psychological problems such as major depression, schizophrenia or dementia. However, not in all cases it has to be caused by a disorder.
According to currents such as positive psychology, it tends to arise as a consequence of the person perceiving that they do not have enough ability to face the challenges of their life.
It is necessary to understand that a certain state of apathy is normal and almost everyone experiences it at some point in their life. However, in cases where it is very serious, it can interfere with the development of daily routine and cause great problems for those who suffer from it..
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Apathy, in most cases, affects all aspects of a person's life at the same time. In general, it is associated with a lack of interest and motivation in any area, which is generally caused by emotional or psychological discomfort or loss of hope..
However, when studying this psychological problem, some specialists find it useful to divide its symptoms into three categories: behavioral, cognitive and emotional. Next we will see each of them.
The first thing we usually notice in a person with apathy (or when we ourselves suffer from this problem) is that their level of activity is considerably reduced. The individual will tend to carry out much fewer actions in their day to day, tending simply to hang out.
On the other hand, the apathetic, due to his lack of interest in his surroundings, shows very little perseverance when facing any task. When something is difficult for him, he usually stops trying after a while.
Finally, the performance of the individual is also greatly reduced in all aspects, and this can cause all kinds of problems (for example, at work or in studies). In general, this is associated with low levels of effort, which prevent you from reaching the standards you previously achieved..
In general, the apathetic person tends to perform only automatic behaviors, in which they do not have to try too hard. Some of the most typical are watching television, surfing the Internet, or playing video games, although the ones performed by a specific individual will depend on several factors such as their age or preferences..
According to research, the main thought of a person suffering from apathy is that it is not worth the effort. For some reason, the individual has acquired the belief that it is useless to try to improve, since there is no possibility of leading a better life in the future.
In general, this is also associated with strong pessimism, usually the result of some traumatic or unpleasant experience. Demotivation is so strong in the case of the majority of apathetic people, that they have great problems when making decisions or convincing themselves that they have to take action.
Finally, in many cases there is even a reduction in the levels of thought that the person produces. That is, their mental activity tends to decrease drastically..
The main emotional symptom caused by apathy is an almost total lack of interest in anything. The person with this problem is unable to show concern for his surroundings, which leads him to not have the desire to act or improve his existence. In general, this is associated with a great demotivation.
On the other hand, all the emotions of the subject are usually flattened; that is, they feel them less intensely than normal. Both positive and negative feelings lose strength, and affect the person much less, who spends his time in a kind of lethargic state.
Although traditionally the set of symptoms of apathy has been considered as a single problem, in a series of recent investigations several psychologists have proposed the idea that there are several subtypes of it.
The first of these is general apathy. This would occur in the case of people who present all or a large part of the symptoms described above, and who experience great problems in their day to day because of it.
The second type is called "behavioral apathy." Individuals who suffer from it do not experience serious problems with their emotions, in the sense that they continue to feel interest in their surroundings and can be self-motivated; but for different reasons, their activity level is drastically reduced.
The third and last type is the opposite of the previous one, and is known as "emotional apathy." These are people who do not feel strong emotions for anything that happens to them, but who are still able to act normally and carry out their obligations more or less effectively..
Today, we still don't know exactly what exactly causes apathy. However, several factors have been identified that can contribute to its appearance. P
Or generally, they are usually classified into four types: biological factors, thought patterns, environmental causes and associated disorders.
The study of the human brain has provided us with many data on different psychological disorders and problems, including apathy. In many of the cases studied, people with this problem had an altered connection between their frontal lobe and the basal ganglia, which could explain their lack of initiative and emotional reduction.
Another of the most prominent biological causes is the alteration of the dopamine circuit. This neurotransmitter is one of the main responsible for producing motivation and pleasure, so its reduction in the brain could cause this disorder by itself. However, it is not yet clear why some people have less dopamine than others..
In general, the biological causes of apathy could be closely related to genetic factors; although in some cases, certain environmental factors could alter the person's brain to the point of causing this problem.
As we have already seen, one of the main symptoms of apathy is a lack of motivation and hope for the future. However, some experts believe that these two factors could also cause the problem in many cases..
Some people have very pessimistic ways of thinking. They believe that the future holds no good for them, that they have no control over their lives, and that it is not worth the effort.
If maintained over time, these cognitive patterns can cause all kinds of psychological problems, including apathy..
The kind of life a person leads and what happens to them can also lead to apathy. There are many types of environmental stressors that favor the development of this problem.
One of the most common is the constant presence of stress. When an individual lives constantly under very high pressure, they can end up developing a lack of interest in their surroundings as a kind of defense mechanism.
On the other hand, a traumatic or painful episode also has the ability to trigger apathy in the lives of some people. Crisis such as the death of a loved one, a breakup or a serious health problem can cause the individual to not feel like doing anything or worry about their surroundings.
Finally, anything that favors a decrease in motivation can also trigger a listless mood. Among other things, a series of painful failures or the lack of positive reinforcement can provoke this outcome..
The last known cause of apathy is the presence of a neurological or psychological disorder that has this altered mood as one of its symptoms. Some of the diseases that are most often associated with it are depression, schizophrenia and dementia.
In these cases, apathy would be just one more symptom among all the existing ones, and therefore it is not usually treated in isolation.
Apathy alone presents no greater problem than the fact that it is often unpleasant for the person experiencing it. However, the consequences of this state of mind can be very harmful for those who suffer from it if it is not treated in time..
Most of the time, the biggest problems occur when the person is so listless that he is not able to fulfill his obligations. This can endanger your work or student life.
On the other hand, the social relations of the individual also tend to be altered. In general, the person is less receptive, pays less attention to the problems of others and tends to show less patience with those around him.
In the worst cases, the lack of activity and stimulating tasks can lead the person with apathy to develop an episode of major depression.
Therefore, as soon as you detect that yourself or someone in your environment shows several of the symptoms of this problem, it is necessary that you carry out some type of intervention.
There is no single recipe for getting out of an episode of apathy. For some people, the key will be to make lifestyle changes..
For others, modifying their thought patterns will be much more effective, especially if done in therapy. Finally, some individuals will benefit from the use of psychotropic drugs specifically designed for this problem..
One of the easiest ways to combat apathy is to make changes in the way you go about your day. When we are immersed in the routine, it is easy to feel that everything is always the same and that there is nothing that interests or excites us.
If you think this is the case for you, doing things slightly differently or changing your environment can help you enormously. This can range from slightly modifying your schedules, to taking a trip to a place you don't know.
On the other hand, it is also important that you eliminate all those factors in your life that may be causing your apathy. Some of them can be an excess of stress, an unhealthy diet, having time for yourself or a lack of adequate social stimulation.
In some cases, the main cause of apathy is overly pessimistic thinking. When someone is convinced that nothing makes sense and that it is not worth trying, it is usually a matter of time before they develop this problem.
Therefore, techniques such as cognitive restructuring or therapies such as cognitive-behavioral can help these individuals to modify the way they see the world. In many cases, this will lead them to regain part of their motivation and to regain interest in what surrounds them.
When apathy is very severe, some psychologists or psychiatrists may find it appropriate to use certain medications that promote a more positive mood. In general, they are usually very effective, but they must be accompanied by some type of therapy to solve the root problem.
Some of the most commonly used drugs to treat this state of mind are serotonin reuptake inhibitors and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors..
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