Apathy: Potential Causes And Treatments

Individuals may experience moments in which they believe they don’t care anymore. They may experience stress and start to say that they don’t care about school, their job, or their relationships. Despite these sentiments, people often still care enough to continue moving forward and fulfilling their responsibilities in these areas of life.

However, if you think you don’t care about anything, you might be experiencing apathy. Examining the definition of apathy can be a way to learn its challenges and how to move forward healthily.

What is apathy?

In distinguishing between occasional feelings of non-motivation and apathy related to a disease, it may be helpful to consider that worry can be a sign that a person does care and that they have not given up. The brain’s frontal cortex tends to be active when individuals worry. When people are apathetic, the frontal cortex can begin to deteriorate or atrophy, and this deterioration tends to be a significant feature of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. However, not all people who experience apathy have dementia or brain atrophy. 

What does apathy look like? 

When someone is apathetic, they may be disinterested and unmotivated. As a result, they may not care about their life or external stimuli. In some contexts, apathy can be related to indifference, and the symptom may not have anything to do with a challenge. For example, imagine that you are trying to decide what to do for dinner. You can either go out to a restaurant, or you can make dinner. If both options sound equally palatable to you and you genuinely do not have a preference, you might feel apathetic or indifferent about your choices for dinner.

In this case, you genuinely might not care what you eat, which can be a valid state of mind. Feeling apathetic about two equally good dinner options does not mean you have stopped caring about every other aspect of your life. However, if you are experiencing relationship problems, performance concerns at work, and financial difficulty and you find yourself apathetic about those areas of life, you may be experiencing a different type of apathy characterized by a lack of emotion.

Apathy can often prevent individuals from engaging in everyday activities that benefit their quality of life and negatively affect their choices. This state of mind can also be a sign of a physical or mental health concern, so if you’re experiencing strong apathy, it may be worth investigating these feelings with a physician or mental health professional.

The difference between apathy and depression

Feelings of apathy might not occur in isolation. Apathy is sometimes a symptom of another mental or physical health condition, so it may be helpful to explore the root cause with a professional. For treatment purposes, a provider may help you separate apathy from mental health conditions that seem similar. For example, apathy is commonly confused with depression, but these conditions are distinct.

Apathy and depression are often mistaken for one another, perhaps because they appear to show similar presentations. For example, someone who is living with depression may experience a diverse array of symptoms, including:

• An overwhelming and pervasive sense of sadness that doesn’t go away
• A sense of worthlessness
• Fatigue
• Difficulty concentrating
• A sense of hopelessness
• Increased or decreased appetite
• Excessive or insufficient sleep
• Loss of interest in enjoyable activities
• Recurrent thoughts of suicide

Apathy is sometimes a symptom of depression, known as anhedonia. This symptom causes a lack of emotion that can be challenging to overcome. In addition, some people who are living with severe depression experience such sadness that they may not seem to care about what’s going on in their lives. However, people who live with depression may not necessarily be apathetic in every scenario; they may be experiencing feelings of sadness so intense that their depression has temporarily stifled their other emotions. Some people who experience depression report that they want to be happy but feel so down that they struggle to remember what happiness is like.

However, people living with depression can often experience significant relief from their symptoms with the aid of therapy or medication. Some people may find that therapy helps so much that their depression symptoms almost seem to disappear. For this reason, distinguishing between apathy and depression may help you seek support. You can seek treatment for depression and possibly experience relief from your symptoms.

What causes apathy?

Depression is a mental health condition that can cause some people to think they are apathetic. True apathy can look different. When someone is apathetic, they can be unmotivated and disinterested in many aspects of their life, even if they are not experiencing depression. Because these thoughts, sensations, and feelings may not be typical aspects of a person’s emotional experience, apathy may be a sign that points to a deeper mental or physical health problem.

The causes of apathy can vary, so you might consider seeking help from a doctor or a therapist as you try to get to the root of the problem. If you are experiencing signs of apathy, the specifics of your case may vary, but common causes may include the following conditions. 

Alzheimer’s and dementia

Apathy is a common hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. Between 50% and 70% of people with dementia experience this loss of interest. The Alzheimer’s Association reports that “Alzheimer's is not only a disease of old age. Younger-onset (also known as early-onset) Alzheimer's affects people younger than age 65. Younger-onset Alzheimer’s is much less common, and prevalence among the more than six million Americans living with Alzheimer’s is uncertain.”

If you’re experiencing significant apathy, consider speaking with a physician or mental health professional. Even if you think you may be living with depression, it may be best to avoid self-diagnosing and assuming that depression is the cause if you haven’t received advice from a professional. Talking about these symptoms with a healthcare provider can lead to a screening for early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Although it can be challenging to confront the reality of a diagnosis like early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, early diagnosis may help you begin treatment as soon as possible.

Stroke

If you’ve recently experienced a stroke, your brain may experience new challenges because of this trauma. A stroke can have a substantial impact on how your brain functions and your emotional control. After having a stroke, some people experience multifaceted apathy, along with unexpected changes in their personality. If you know that you’ve recently had a stroke and you’re experiencing new and uncharacteristic feelings or symptoms, consider mentioning them to a doctor. As in the case of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, apathy is sometimes not a symptom of a mental health condition but a physical or neurological problem that a doctor can help you investigate.

Schizophrenia

Feelings of apathy can also occasionally be a symptom of schizophrenia. Although these symptoms more commonly occur in people who have recently experienced a stroke or are showing signs of early-onset dementia, apathy can sometimes occur in people who live with schizophrenia. Studies show that apathy can sometimes occur as a result of antipsychotic medications, which are commonly prescribed to people who experience schizophrenia, or it can occur as a symptom of depression, which can be common among people who have schizophrenia. If you are living with schizophrenia and you are now experiencing signs of apathy, consider mentioning this symptom to your doctor.

Treatment for apathy

Apathy can be challenging to treat, and the precise cause of your apathy may determine your treatment options. For example, because apathy is different from depression, common treatments for depression may be ineffective for treating apathy. In some cases, antidepressants— which are commonly prescribed for people living with depression—may make apathy worse.

Likewise, if you’re experiencing early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, the after-effects of a stroke, or schizophrenia, your treatment options may vary. If you have any of these conditions, your doctor may be able to prescribe certain medications. These medications may be different from those that are prescribed for the treatment of depression.

In addition to medication, connecting with a therapist may be beneficial. A therapist can provide you with professional insight into your symptoms and a set of tools to help you resolve apathy and rediscover joy. Your treatment plan for apathy may depend on your specific symptoms, and you and your therapist can work together to determine what will be best and most effective for you. 

Your therapist might encourage you to connect with a support group for people who are experiencing apathy in addition to trying music therapy, art therapy, or opportunities to connect with an emotional support animal. 

The BetterHelp platform is not intended for any information regarding which drugs, medication, or medical treatment may be appropriate for you. The content provides generalized information that is not specific to one individual. You should not take any action without consulting a qualified medical professional.

Connecting with a therapist online

If you are interested in therapy but don’t have the energy or motivation to visit a therapist’s office, you might consider online therapy. With an online therapy service like BetterHelp, you can chat with a therapist via audio or video chat from the comfort of your home at a time that works for you. In addition, you may be able to access resources like support groups, which can help you connect with others going through similar challenges. 

Licensed online therapists are trained in various treatment approaches, and your therapist may use a method like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you reframe your thoughts. Internet-based CBT has been found to be effective in treating and managing various mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, which may stem from a diagnosis of dementia, the aftermath of a stroke, or an apathy-related condition.