There are times in our lives when we no longer have motivation or interest, which is why an attitude of indifference is shown, in those cases it can be said that we have Apathy. This article will explain everything about this emotional state.
Apathy consists of the outcome of emotions with thoughts, generating a decrease in enthusiasm
Apathy
Apathy consists of a state of emotion that lacks interest and motivation generated by a specific situation or by an upset. This indifference is a condition produced by a lack of perseverance, having as its characteristic an affectionate dullness and in turn a decrease in thoughts regarding the feelings that one has.
This state does not present a stimulus to act, on the contrary, it does not act, so the person presents a self-generated attitude, another way of explaining it is that the person does not have initiative in a certain situation. Because of this, people who exercise apathy do not make any kind of effort regardless of the reason why they need to act.
Due to this condition, the link of emotions with any situation is lost, that is, in the event that a worrying or happy circumstance occurs, the person does not show their emotions or their feelings, maintains a neutral and indifferent state, without giving it the importance it requires. In these cases, the difficulty of making an important decision increases, leading to abulia, which is a person's lack of will.
In the same way, it complicates the execution of various tasks, whether they are work, academic or home. That is why this state can be observed in children at an early age, without the need to present any type of syndrome or related disorder, but having apathy can trigger some type of disease.
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Types of causes
Apathy can have different kinds of origin, that is, for various reasons you can be in a state of apathy. It can be noticed in the face of the different external stimuli that we experience daily. It is important to know its causes since it is a way to avoid being with this condition, reducing the possible symptoms that can develop from this emotional state.
It can occur at any age of a person, be it a child or an adult, being relevant and worrying in primary ages and in old age because this condition can be stronger or more intense. That is why the causes of apathy are going to be shown below, along with its main characteristics:
Biological
The biological causes of apathy are exposed with an alteration of the link between the frontal lobe with the basal ganglia, being the reason for the complications in having a link between an emotion and a thought, generating difficulties when taking the initiative in a specific situation. . This origin of apathy is important because it occurs at the cerebral level, its treatment and care being more delicate.
In this same cause, the lesion in the dorsolateral prefrontal is highlighted, as well as an injury in the associative areas, which generate different psychic, mental and physical disorders. Among them, dementia can be named, being a complication of the person's condition for both lifestyle and mental health.
It is also generated from the consumption of substances or medications that alter the transfer of neurotransmitters, they are generally remedies with psychoactive effects that produce these modifications at the brain level. One consequence that occurs is the alteration of the brain in such a way that its functioning and its reaction are not normal.
An example of this situation is the consumption of cannabis, as long as it is in excess, it causes this type of problem; generates an amotivational syndrome, which presents apathy in a deeper way, also reduces the ability to retain information, that is, the person's memory begins to be shorter storage of memories in the mind.
In the same way, it happens with the consumption of contraceptives that decreases activity and self-directed impulses, it also oppresses dopaminergic activity, causing it not to transmit the necessary dopamine, increasing the level of apathy in the person, and in turn increasing the amount of alogia.
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Environmental
When talking about environmental causes, it refers to the fact that apathy comes from the case in which one lives under very strong stress and in a constant way, in these situations the interest of the person towards a subject, or a person is diminished; To avoid this, positive emotions must be reinforced to maintain the link with thoughts, increasing enthusiasm and motivation.
In the same way, when you have negative personal thoughts, your mood decreases, generating apathy with respect to the vision of what surrounds you, including family, friends, even personal care. In these cases, the motivation to move forward and meet the established goals is almost nil, so they do not have a purpose in life, this being an alarming point at the health level.
Due to this environmental cause, the level of apathy can develop until reaching apathy. With this condition, the case of establishing difficult goals can be presented, which are the capacities that one possesses will not be achieved, this happens unconsciously due to the fact that the thoughts and the emotions are not linked, so frustration occurs as a consequence of this emotional state, being very dangerous since it does not stop there but this leads to depression.
Depression is a dangerous disease where the person feels despondent and unhappy, these negative feelings are caused by emotions that, as they are disconnected from thoughts, can no longer process correctly how to act, complicating their mental state that is reflected in his attitude, where he shows a lack of interest and motivation to have a full life. These cases are generally exposed in the stage of puberty and maturity.
Associated disorders
With this emotion, relationships with other people are facilitated, it allows the thoughts that are available before a stimulus to be expressed automatically. Through this emotion you can share the spontaneous actions that can be performed, along with this happiness it also includes curiosity, because discovering new things draws the person's attention causing a joyful moment that can be shared with another person. .
The treatments that are associated with apathy present various organic and psychological symptoms giving an alarming state or condition to the person, since they lose interest in continuing to live or do not see the reasons to move forward. That is why the main disorders are going to be shown next along with their main characteristics:
Depression
This disease is usually caused by abulia, it is where the person has a negative personal vision, they see their surroundings in a hostile way. They have no reason or interest in improving their quality of life. As in this state in the personal area there is no progress in the future, negative emotions and feelings develop.
Apathy is a symptom of these disorders, so when developing this state you can present despair and agony, which you do not understand because you have these sensations and do not know how to eliminate them from your life. It is very important to recognize these symptoms since this disease can produce lethal consequences for the person.
Dementia
Another disorder associated with apathy is dementia, which consists of a degeneration at the brain level. It is the loss of metal capacity, considered very serious since it is progressive and depending on age it can present a higher level of acceleration, however, sometimes it is caused by a certain disease.
One of its first symptoms is apathy that quickly develops into abulia, which alters memory, that is, it causes confusion in the person's memories and decreases their ability to retain information. Due to this, a modification or disorder of the person's behavior is generated, which is why the development of this disease is notorious and evident.
Anxiety
Living in a tense environment, anxiety develops, showing apathy and stress, this provides additional diseases to the body and mind. It originates from living a traumatic and negative experience, where the brain relates an aspect of reality with the suffering experienced, generating hallucinations or an alteration in memory where these unpleasant situations are constantly relived.
This disorder can lead to depression and dementia, depending on how it is developed. Stress increases the severity of this condition, so the person lives in a world without hope and has the feeling of losing the ability to achieve something, the nerves are not controlled so they are generally in a state of anguish and fear .
In any daily condition, a feeling of panic occurs, producing tachycardia, as well as tiredness and sweating. The motivation in this disorder is absent because everything that can be exercised is linked to that state of stress, so it does not remain calm without being able to analyze the situations and emotions that it has in a correct way, generating a feeling of confinement and lack of control
Anemia
Apathy is one of the first symptoms of the anemia disorder, which consists of the absence of essential nutrients in the person's body. The lack of vitamins or glucose alters the behavior or attitude of the human being, it can even generate depression due to the reduction in the flow of oxygen, altering the functioning of the metabolism.
It is also due to the reduction of healthy red blood cells and this causes fatigue, that in each activity that is carried out there is not adequate strength, preventing the correct execution of the body, this generates frustration and in turn stress, so it can also be develop anxiety.