Apathy: how a person can get out of this condition, symptoms, causes and treatment

What is apathy and how to deal with it: advice from a psychologist

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Apathy is a natural reaction of the human body to stress. It is expressed in loss of interests, decreased vital energy, and emotional impoverishment. Constant fatigue, depression and indifference to everything that happens significantly limits a person in all areas of life: professional self-realization, personal relationships with others, personal growth. Apathy is often a symptom of a number of mental and neurological disorders, so it is not advisable to neglect measures to prevent and treat the painful condition.

Symptoms of apathy

Lack of interest in life, decreased motivation, and neglect of desires negatively affect a person’s performance and behavior. An insufficient amount of energy will hinder not only the fulfillment of daily duties (elementarily related to self-care and life maintenance), but also new achievements - without regular personal growth and development, the symptoms of apathy will increase qualitatively and quantitatively, leading to the development of a full-fledged mental disorder.

Apathy deprives you of interest in all areas of life. A person can show indifference even when significant and long-awaited events occur. A person experiences serious difficulties in situations that require efforts to solve his own problem. Since apathy in its essence is the ability of the psyche to protect the body from overstrain, accumulated problems will only aggravate the situation. To prevent the development of pathological processes, it is important to promptly pay attention to the symptoms:

Reduced or fundamental lack of aspirations and motivation
Decreased interest in life in general, all its areas, previous hobbies, important events
Difficulties in making life-changing decisions, lethargy, lethargy
Reduced concentration, inhibition of thought processes

A person suffering from apathy is not able to self-realize in any area of life; over time, questions and difficulties only accumulate. However, it is worth noting that this is not related to drug use. Apathy is expressed in absolute indifference to what is happening, and not in the search for means to overcome the crisis.

Stages

Apathy, like any disorder in the functioning of the psyche, goes through several stages of formation. The deeper and more serious the disorder, the more difficult and longer the treatment will take.

At first, a person is quite satisfied with himself, his position, and position in society. He takes on any job with enthusiasm, but may notice that the results bring much less pleasure than before
Over time, fatigue begins to accumulate, and problems with sleep may occur. In the absence of motivation or the ability to overcome stress, a person begins to lose interest in activities (but does not refuse to perform them), which naturally affects the quality of work
Excessive work without rest and emotional relief provokes physiological and mental disorders - exhaustion, susceptibility to disease, irritability, anger, depression
Experiences and feelings of dissatisfaction are rapidly increasing, which leads to the development of chronic diseases, as well as partial or complete loss of ability to work.
Physical and psychological problems develop qualitatively and quantitatively and can provoke absolute destruction of all spheres of life, as well as lead to the development of diseases that are truly dangerous to human life

Apathy is difficult to identify in the early stages; many people are accustomed to attributing these symptoms to short-term fatigue, stress, and lack of normal sleep. The situation is aggravated by the fact that not everyone is ready to allocate funds for their treatment or, in principle, admit that they need the help of a specialist. Despite the availability of effective treatments for mental health problems, in low- and middle-income countries, between 76% and 85% of people with mental health problems receive no treatment.

What to do if you start to feel depressed

If this is a one-time temporary condition that does not in any way affect your behavior and ability to work, then you should not pay attention to it, look for something you can switch to and the depression will go away on its own.

Most likely, the cause of such a depressed state is an external factor (stress, psychological trauma, overwork, etc.) and therefore this is a normal mental reaction that does not require treatment.

If a depressed mood lasts more than a few days, arose for no apparent external reason and affects your activities (productivity has decreased, too much stress is required to achieve normal results, absences from work or school), then you should seek help from a specialist, since, most likely All in all, this is already a painful condition.

Causes

All possible reasons why a person may be diagnosed with apathy can be divided into two large categories - internal and external. The latter include factors that provoke the disorder from the outside. Unfavorable environmental conditions provoke the occurrence of:

Severe stress – loss of a loved one, being fired, experiencing an emergency
Emotional burnout – constant responsibility, busy work schedule
Somatic disorders - diseases of organs and systems that affect brain function
Endocrine disorders – failure in the production of hormones
Side effects from taking medications

When there are no objective reasons for the occurrence of apathy, it is worth turning to internal factors - psychological or neurological disorders. Apathy can be a symptom of depression, schizophrenia or Alzheimer's disease.

Who can help with depression

With mild depression, any loved one who is capable of empathy can help. Or a psychologist who knows techniques to help cope with depression.

If it is clear that depression has painful features, then you should consult a psychotherapist or psychiatrist.

Symptoms that may indicate that depression has turned into depression and a doctor is needed:

anxiety, apathy, melancholy without external reasons;
low self-esteem;
suicidal thoughts;
sleep disturbance: insomnia, lack of feeling of sleep, early awakenings, daytime drowsiness;
diurnal mood swings: worsening in the morning and relief in the evening;
loss of appetite and weight loss. Or vice versa, a strong craving for food;
physical signs of depression: feeling of a lump in the throat, heaviness in the chest, internal trembling, palpitations and shortness of breath, diarrhea or constipation

There is no most effective method or best cure for depression. Each person and case requires its own unique “tools” to combat the state of depression.

Kinds

Apathy is a mental illness characterized by an indifferent attitude towards important life events, loved ones and surrounding people, what is happening around in general, hostility, and self-loathing. There are several forms of apathy:

Passive apathy - a fundamental lack of interest in life
Active apathy is a form that has no external manifestations; a person destroys himself from the inside, often ending his life with suicide
Traumatic apathy is a consequence of mechanical damage to the head.

The nature of the manifestations of apathy and effective ways to get rid of it are always individual and depend on the gender, age, and personal characteristics of a person.

Features in men, women and children

In men

Apathy among representatives of the stronger half of humanity is extremely rarely recognized by men. They often tend to deny the existence of a problem due to established gender stereotypes in society. Society believes that expressing emotions is more characteristic of women. Therefore, men suffering from apathy prefer to focus on the severity of physical symptoms rather than internal experiences. Risk factors for developing apathy in men are more often associated with:

Physical injuries
Misunderstanding with partner
Paternity
Problems at work or finding one
Overweight
Retirement
Lack of friends
Divorce
Bad habits

Apathy in men is characterized by loss of interest in usually pleasant activities, fatigue, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, in the emotional sphere they show irritability, aggressiveness and hostility, despite the fact that they experience:

Anxiety
Helplessness
Fear
Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt

Men are three to four times more likely than women to commit suicide. 80% of all people who commit suicide are men.

Among women

Most women are characterized by excessive emotionality, sensitivity, and a personality type that is overly susceptible to stressful situations. Relatives and friends of a girl prone to apathy should be especially careful in order to take appropriate measures in a timely manner. Among the emotional manifestations of apathy:

Yearning
Despair, loss of meaning in life
Exacerbation of fears and phobias
Anxious thoughts, premonition of trouble
Mood swings
Feelings of guilt and self-blame
Low self-esteem
Indifference to other people's feelings

Women are passive, avoid contact with other people, deliberately refuse entertainment, begin to show a tendency to bad habits, and stop caring about their appearance and health.

In children

The likelihood of developing apathy in children depends on age. In a younger child, the child simply does not realize what is happening, does not identify himself, cannot classify and understand what sensations and feelings he is experiencing, whether this is bad, he is only learning to understand himself and those around him. However, with age this probability increases, but the main difficulty is that teenagers tend to remain silent and create the illusion of normalcy for adults who “won’t understand anyway.” Out of fear, mistrust, shame or uncertainty, children hide their problems, but the disorder can also be diagnosed by external signs, which the child is often unable to control:

Decreased general physical tone – sluggishness, passivity
Deterioration of general physical condition – sleep disturbances, appetite disturbances
Physical ailments – weakness, pain
Emotional disturbances – depression, tearfulness, aggressiveness, conflict
The emergence of fears - darkness, loneliness, death
Deterioration of the cognitive sphere - memory, attention, thinking
Changes in behavior - isolation, loss of interest in once significant things and events

The main problem of apathy in children is that they, not having the appropriate experience, knowledge, skills and abilities to overcome a depressive state, prefer to remain silent and try to cope with stress themselves, which is not always possible even for an adult.

How to help someone who is depressed

Offer your help, try to assess the cause of suffering yourself and assess whether you need to wait out this condition or require the help of a doctor.

In some cases, you can “escape from depression” by switching to another problem or changing your attitude; in other cases, you should, on the contrary, look for the cause of depression and speculate on this topic.

Don't leave him alone with you. Be persistent if you are faced with refusal to see a specialist when your condition worsens.

Sleep disturbance and weight loss are critical indicators for arranging a consultation with a specialist. Alcohol is a bad and dangerous way to help when you feel depressed or depressed.

How to overcome laziness, apathy, fatigue on your own?

At the slightest manifestation of symptoms of apathy, it is advisable to immediately take preventive measures. The result always depends solely on the person himself. To overcome the crisis, it is enough to perform a number of simple but effective actions:

Changing your social circle - it is important to be surrounded by ambitious and self-confident people who strive for constant self-improvement and activity, true optimists who, no matter what, sincerely believe in success
New vivid impressions - travel, extreme sports, a new hobby or interest. Positive emotions will stimulate the production of the happiness hormone
A gift to yourself - just remember what you once dreamed of, what was impractical, too expensive or unreasonable
Cleaning the house - tidy surroundings invariably affects self-awareness. Getting rid of everything that is old, broken, unnecessary or causes negative emotions will serve as a starting point for getting out of depression

We also recommend that you seek advice from a psychologist.

It is natural that apathy is characterized by a reluctance to do something, but activity is necessary. To begin with, it is advisable to set a small goal, and as you achieve it, set increasingly larger and more significant, long-term goals. It is important to celebrate every success, even the most insignificant one, and constantly keep it in sight - this will be a good incentive to action.

Drugs and medicines

Antidepressants and sedatives are prescribed strictly according to the individual recommendations of the attending physician. To independently determine the course of treatment means to expose your own health to serious danger.

As a preventative measure, it is advisable to use infusions and decoctions of herbs, drink teas with natural ingredients, take vitamins and eat more fresh foods. We must not forget about maintaining an optimal sleep and rest schedule, physical exercise, breathing and relaxation techniques.

Techniques used for depression

Psychological: support, empathy and help in solving current problems from others, “compassion”, relaxation using autogenic training or similar techniques, change of environment (vacation or time off, travel, temporary relocation);
Physical: water treatments (cold shower in the morning, warm bath in the evening), intense and regular physical activity, sound sleep for at least 8 hours, provided you fall asleep before midnight;
Medical (only as prescribed by a doctor): pharmacotherapy, physiotherapy, diet therapy, sleep deprivation, etc.