ABULIA: THE TOTAL LACK OF MOTIVATION - ECONOMÍA - 2024

The apathy is a psychological state in which the affected person experiences a high lack of motivation, energy and will. It is generally framed within the same spectrum as apathy, being a more extreme version of this condition. It is normally considered a disorder of the will, although there is no consensus on whether it should be understood as a pathology or not.

People with apathy are characterized by having very low energy levels, as well as by an almost total loss of interest in those stimuli, tasks and occupations that motivated them before developing the pathology. Due to this, they show a much lower level of activity than normal, being usual that responsibilities are avoided and important tasks are postponed.

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On a psychological level, individuals with apathy often show difficulties in making decisions, both important and small. In addition to this, they state that it is difficult for them to think clearly, because their mind works more slowly than usual. Emotionally, in addition, they tend to be sad or show diminished emotional activation.

Apathy is a syndrome that affects practically all areas of the lives of the affected people. For example, their social relationships are usually impaired due to their low motivation to interact with other individuals. Something similar happens in the professional field.

However, today abulia is not considered to be a mental disorder itself, but rather it is understood more as a set of symptoms that may indicate the presence of another more serious pathology.

Symptoms of abulia

The first time the term "abulia" was used in a clinical context was in 1838. However, since then the definition of it has changed often, so that even today there is no universally accepted version about what exactly this word means.

Generally, the most important symptoms described in the case of patients with abulia are the loss of motivation and desire to act, a reduced emotional expression, a reduction in spontaneous behaviors and speech, and a significant decrease in initiative, spontaneous thoughts and feelings positive.

However, there are many other symptoms that according to different authors can also be closely related to abulia. Some of them have to do with the emotional and psychological state of the patient, while others are more related to their behaviors.

Emotional and mental symptoms

People with abulia show a very marked reduction in almost all areas related to the mind and emotions. Similar to other related pathologies, such as apathy and anhedonia, those affected by this syndrome often show a flat emotional state, low interest in activities that would normally be motivating, and less spontaneity.

On the other hand, normal mental functions are also impaired, so that the person has difficulty thinking clearly and tends to take more time to produce a cognitive response. This can be seen, for example, in increased slowness when speaking or answering questions.

In addition to this, people with abulia tend to show indifference towards most situations and issues they encounter in their day-to-day lives, as well as great helplessness towards what happens to them, which makes them act even more passive.

Behavioral symptoms

At the level of the actions carried out, in cases of apathy, motivation disappears almost completely, so the person tends to decrease their physical activity to a great extent. It is common for those affected by this syndrome to spend most of the day resting or doing simple activities, such as watching television or surfing the Internet.

People around you may notice that something strange is happening, since the movements of those affected by apathy also slow down and become less frequent. Thus, many observers describe the way these individuals act as slow or lazy.

Finally, the probability of spontaneous movements and behaviors is greatly diminished. For example, it is common for people with abulia to hardly speak on their own initiative, and limit themselves to answering a few words when asked something directly.

Causes

As in the case of most psychological disorders, there is no single cause to which all cases of abulia can be attributed. On the contrary, the appearance of this syndrome is usually due to several factors, which can be of a social, biological or psychological nature.

Thus, for example, it has been found that in a significant number of cases of abulia affected people present alterations in some of the areas of the brain related to motivation, such as the basal ganglia or the anterior cingulate circuit. This can be due to causes such as a cardiovascular injury, a genetic defect, or a head injury.

At other times, the appearance of abulia is not determined by any biological cause, but develops as a symptom of another more severe psychological illness. Some of the most related are depression, schizophrenia, and some serious anxiety disorders.

Finally, abulia appears temporarily due to the presence of external factors that profoundly affect the individual's state of mind. Some of the most common may be the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, an emotional breakdown, or a severe life crisis.

Related diseases

Within the world of psychology, apathy is considered today as one more symptom of certain mental illnesses that affect, among other things, mood. Among the most common are major depression, certain types of schizophrenia, and some severe anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

In addition to these most common pathologies, there are others in which abulia can also appear in some cases. For example, dysthymia (a less severe version of depression) can also lead to a flat, negative mood. Other of the most common would be bipolar disorder, cyclothymia or seasonal depression.

On the other hand, there are purely physical diseases that could also cause apathy in some specific cases. The most common problems of this type are brain alterations, caused either by a head injury or by some type of cardiovascular accident.

Other diseases, such as cancer, syphilis or certain severe infections can also lead to the appearance of apathy in some very specific cases.

How to combat apathy?

When a person suffers from apathy, in most cases they will need outside help to be able to deal with it properly and to regain a normal state of mind. Depending on the causes, this will require the application of different techniques, which can be medical, psychological, behavioral or a mixture of the three.

In cases where the apathy has appeared due to a physical problem, such as an infection or a brain injury, the treatment will begin by trying to solve the biological cause behind the syndrome. For example, if the alteration of emotions is due to a generalized infection, the first step to solve it will be the application of antibiotics.

In addition to this, in general different psychological techniques will be applied to try to improve the patient's mood and help him to lead a normal life as soon as possible. There are many therapeutic approaches that can be used, and the most suitable will vary depending on the specific case.

One of the most popular therapies for abulia is cognitive-behavioral. It combines both techniques aimed at changing the individual's negative thoughts and emotions, as well as others aimed at creating healthy habits that help the person to regain their energy levels and to deal correctly with difficult situations in their life.

Drug intervention

In some cases, psychological and medical therapy is not enough to achieve the changes that the person needs quickly and effectively. Apathy can have very serious consequences for the individuals who suffer from it, so when this occurs, they can opt for intervention through psychotropic drugs.

Medications such as antidepressants alter brain chemistry in such a way that a person has a greater amount of the neurotransmitters responsible for producing positive feelings in their body. In this way, psychological intervention is simpler, and the person feels that they have greater control over their emotional well-being.

Changes in lifestyle

Regardless of the type of intervention that is chosen to help a person with apathy, it is also very common for those affected to have to make a series of changes in their lifestyle to make the improvement permanent and prevent future relapses.

Thus, actions such as practicing sports regularly, eating a healthy and balanced diet, sleeping an adequate number of hours and sunbathing regularly can make the difference between a successful intervention and one that fails to solve the problem of abulia.

References

1. "Abulia: what is it and what symptoms warn of its arrival?" in: Psychology and Mind. Retrieved on: December 31, 2019 from Psychology and Mind: psicologiaymente.com.
2. "Understanding Depression: Asthenia, Anhedonia and Abulia" in: Activament. Retrieved on: December 31, 2019 from Activament: activament.org.
3. "Abulia" in: Definition Of. Retrieved on: December 31, 2019 from Definition definition.
4. "Abulia: meaning, symptoms and treatment" in: Online Psychology. Retrieved on: December 31, 2019 from Online Psychology: psicologia-online.com.
5. "Aboulia" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: December 31, 2019 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.