Meaning of Apathy

The apathy (from the Latin concept Apathia) refers to the apathy, boredom, indifference and lack of strength. It is, in other words, the impassive state of mind that is reflected in the absence of desire or enthusiasm.

Some examples where the term appears can be: “The boxer showed alarming apathy on the ring”, “That album was the perfect soundtrack to portray the apathy of the time”, “Leave the apathy and go ahead and dance with us”.

Apathy as pathology is a term coined by psychology and it is an affective disorder that causes indifference towards the events, people or the environment that surrounds the sick subject. Which, manifests it through a vain reaction against the stimuli that come from outside, or even those that are born from within.

When apathy only appears in specific cases (directed towards an individual, a task or a context), it is usually a response to stress. Nor should we forget that apathy is sometimes not pathological and is simply disinterest in what a person thinks is not relevant or interesting.

When apathy is clinically diagnosed, it has nothing to do with boredom or laziness. However, at the colloquial level, a link is usually established between these notions. So a man can say expressions like “Forget apathy and get to work.”

For it to be diagnosed, it is strictly necessary that a neuropsychiatric examination be carried out, in which not only the conditions in which the patient’s mental state is found, but also the characteristics of his environment and the aspirations of the subject (activities, objectives, wishes, etc); because all of them can condition the mental health of the person.

It should be mentioned that apathy can also occur in people with Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia; in these cases it is related to the cognitive functioning and the alterations of the individual’s daily performance. In most cases this disorder is accompanied by depressive symptoms.

If apathy is not pathological, it can be reversed with various stimuli depending on the interests of the person concerned. A certain musical theme, an inspiring photograph or a flavoring are some elements that can help you overcome a mild apathetic state.

Emotional apathy can harm the affected individual and their environment but is not resolved as simply as deciding to do things against it. It is necessary to understand its origin and work out how to get out of that hole, so that once it is resolved, the patient cannot fall into it again.

Sexual apathy

There is talk of apathy or sexual inhibition when in a couple one of the parties does not feel passion or sexual desire with respect to the other (generally neither with other individuals who are not part of the couple). This lack of passion is shown with a clear disinterest in physical contact and sexual relations. Apathy can be diagnosed when the number of times a person feels prompted to have sexual contact with another decreases partially or totally.

Sexual apathy is primary when the person has manifested it from the beginning of their sexual encounters, and secondary when it arises after there has been a normal and satisfactory period of sexual activity. Apathy can also be selective, when it only occurs with a particular person. Finally, there is talk of general sexual apathy when it is stable and permanent.

It should be noted that some authors denominate sexual apathy as Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder and before being diagnosed, mental illnesses that lead the subject to lose sexual interest must be ruled out, that the subject is ingesting some drug that may cause that apathy.

The causes of sexual apathy are often related to high levels of anxiety caused by overly demanding moral education, previous traumatic sexual experiences, or feelings of self-rejection (feeling unattractive or underestimating yourself).

The best way we can address this pathology is making the patient take awareness of the problems and the front; Encourage him to dare to give and receive love, valuing and valuing the other and above all, to come into contact with the deepest feelings and desires. In a word, focusing existence on reviving that sleeping part of the sick person, his sexuality.

Apathy