Surely each of us has faced psychological problems shoulder to shoulder. Every person has periods when he becomes indifferent to everything, does not strive for anything, does not have the slightest desire to do anything. Psychologists call this state of deep indifference apathy. “I don’t want to communicate with anyone” - this phrase can often be heard from a person suffering from this psychotic disorder. What are the causes of apathy, how to recognize it and what advice do psychologists give to deal with this problem?
How dangerous is apathy and what are the consequences
One of the forms of the protective reaction of the psyche to stressful situations, lack of sleep, emotional experiences, physical or moral exhaustion can be indifference not only to everything around and what is happening, but also to oneselfyourself. This depressed state is characterized by a general breakdown, so a long stay in it is dangerous not only for the mental, but also for the physical he alth of a person. With apathy, the risk of "paralysis" of the personality increases: due to focusing solely on one's own problems, the patient ceases to find positive moments in various situations and see the beauty of the outside world.
A person suffering from apathy has no desire to communicate with people. It is quite difficult to cope with this type of disorder on your own. The patient will need tremendous willpower, determination and determination. With this problem, most patients turn to psychotherapists. In complicated cases, the patient can completely withdraw from society, fall out of the real world. Apathy is often accompanied by depression, and if untreated, the most dangerous scenario for the development of these disorders is often a person's attempts to settle scores with a life that seems worthless and useless to him.
To understand the reasons why there is no desire to communicate, you need to delve into your subconscious and find there a reflection of specific events in your personal or social life that could cause serious damage to the patient's psyche. The symptoms of this pathology cannot be confused with a bad mood, which is temporary. When looking at a person with apathy, there is always a feeling as if he does not hear and does not notice anything around.
If the patient declares: “I don’t want any communication!”, drastic measures must be taken urgently. Apathy is amenable to medication andpsychotherapeutic correction, however, each step in the treatment of this condition must be competent and clearly balanced.
Main causes of spiritual emptiness
Like any other disease, the appearance of this disorder was preceded by certain factors. Indifference itself cannot arise from scratch, without any reason. Most often, apathy, due to which a person does not want to communicate with anyone, is the result of harsh self-criticism and dissatisfaction with oneself, which leads to a refusal to implement important plans.
The actual reasons for the appearance of an indifferent state include stress and emotional upheaval. Progressive apathy is accompanied by laziness, lack of emotions, and even neglect of appearance and hygiene. It is not uncommon for persons with mental apathetic disorder to have houses that are not cleaned and are very dirty.
Tragic events
It happens that in our lives there are strong shocks. The death of loved ones or relatives, the betrayal of a loved one or parting with him, serious injuries and disabilities - all this affects the emotional state. Any incidents that can affect the way of life deprive you of strength and make you give up.
Apathy and a sense of helplessness fetter a person in all spheres of his life. To accept what happened and come to your senses, a lot of time must pass after the grief experienced.
Emotional intensity
No one will benefit from a series of experienced stressful situations. Almost alwaysa person becomes indifferent as a result of prolonged psycho-emotional stress, which leads to the exhaustion of the nervous system. At risk are people who endlessly doubt themselves, are in depressing feelings, excitement. Without noticing it, the patient sinks into a depressed state. If he says, "I don't want to talk to people!", most likely, his apathy has reached a breaking point.
The turning point in the course of this mental illness is the stage during which the destruction of the personality occurs. Experiencing negative emotions for a long time, a person subconsciously gets used to them. The result is complete dissatisfaction with life and hopelessness. The once self-confident person no longer believes in himself and fixates only on problems.
Physical and moral exhaustion
Excessive workload and lack of pleasure from work often lead to loss of vitality and deep fatigue. Working for wear and tear, each person unconsciously wants to receive in return something that will bring him moral satisfaction. If the business, in which a lot of energy and work had to be invested, in the end does not live up to expectations, after the physical exhaustion comes moral exhaustion.
"I don't want to hang out with my friends, go to work and think about the future" is a typical behavior pattern for patients with apathy. The duration of treatment depends on the person himself. Therapy will be long and exhausting unless he can find the right stimulus.
Fatigue is the main enemy of goodmood, positive thoughts and self-confidence. If it becomes chronic, burnout is inevitable. Apathy does not occur where there is no good reason for it, so it is extremely important for people prone to psychotic disorders to avoid stressful situations, not allow themselves to become involved in conflicts and emotionally worry.
When self-criticism is not in favor
Usually close relatives and family members guess that a person needs the help of specialists. More and more often they hear from him that, they say, I’m tired of everything, there is no point in anything, I don’t even want to communicate with friends and acquaintances. What to do in this situation?
Apathetic disorder may well have led to fantastic expectations. For example, a person has just started doing what he loves, but at the same time he immediately wanted to get high incomes. Thus, he makes too stringent demands on himself and even deprives himself of the right to make a mistake.
But we know that success can only be achieved through hard work, trial and error. Everyone can make a mistake by making the wrong decision, but only for a psychologically stable person, the wrong steps are a reason to try again or try something else. People who are prone to apathy perceive their own failures as a real drama. Perfectionists often suffer from this disorder. They are too self-critical about personal achievements, consider them small and insignificant. This is what prevents a person from feeling completely happy and achieving their goals.
Psychological addiction
This is one of the reasons why a person refuses to fight the problem and generally make contact with anyone. The phrase “I don’t want to communicate with people” in psychology can be perceived as a consequence of addictive behavior. An addiction is an obsessive need to perform certain actions. The term is often used for more than just drug, drug, alcohol, or gambling addictions.
Speaking of addiction, psychologists mean a state in which a person loses individuality, ceases to control himself, does not have respect for himself and others.
Understand that addiction provoked apathy, you can by the behavior of the patient and his attitude towards others. All thoughts and desires of an addicted person are aimed only at satisfying their needs (taking drugs, smoking a cigarette, seeing the object of their desire, etc.). A person with an addictive disorder is not able to manage his own life and be responsible for what happens.
He alth problems as a cause of apathy
It is possible that a serious illness is the cause of the sudden isolation and decadent mood. It is not surprising that a person who feels bad says, they say, I do not want to communicate with people. What to do? In most cases, patients who undergo complex treatment are prescribed antidepressants. With a protracted illness that makes its own adjustments to the usual way of life, a person becomes emotionally depressed. The disease is capabledeprive you of the strength to enjoy even pleasant little things.
All the energy and resources of the body are spent solely on the fight against the disease, therefore, to overcome the feeling of helplessness and cheer up, the patient is prescribed antidepressants. These drugs help relieve fatigue, help maintain interest in life and doing what you love.
Public lack of demand
Another reason why a person may say: “I don’t want to communicate with anyone!” Can be tensions in a circle of friends, a team, a family. Not wanting to contact, on a subconscious level, he defends himself from the rejection of himself by the environment. In psychology, this phenomenon is called "personal dissatisfaction syndrome." He takes his roots, as a rule, from unsuccessfully developing relationships with management, colleagues, relatives, etc.
If a person often hears critical statements addressed to him and is forced to be in a state of constant confrontation, sooner or later he ceases to believe in his own rightness, and self-doubt is the first step towards apathy.
Features of female apathy
It is not always a psychotic disorder if a person has no desire to communicate with people. In psychiatry, almost nothing is said about PMS, but many women know firsthand about apathy during this period. The state of spiritual emptiness and indifference is not uncommon for the fair sex on the eve of the menstrual cycle. Women become vulnerable, whiny, sentimental,touchy.
How apathy manifests itself: symptoms
“I don’t want to communicate with people” - these depressing and frightening thoughts are familiar to anyone who has ever experienced apathy. It manifests itself in a very specific way. People who have experienced the hardships of all manifestations of this psychotic disorder know how difficult it is to cope with this problem and learn to find the positive in life again.
A person in a state of apathy has no desire to communicate with people. He practically does not notice what is happening around him, stops even thinking about his usual needs: he forgets to have dinner on time, take a walk in the fresh air, take a shower, refuses to meet with friends, etc. People around him get the impression that the patient has forgotten how to experience feelings joy and show emotions, it seems that the person has wandered into a dead end and now does not know what to do next, in which direction to head.
People suffering from apathy are emotionally indifferent. Most of the time they are in a bad mood, it is impossible to cheer them up, charge them with positive emotions, give optimism and inspire faith in a brighter future. If a person does not want to communicate with people, the diagnosis of "apathy" is not made at the first appointment with a specialist. The patient is followed up to determine other symptoms that are characteristic of this psychotic disorder.
Indifference to everything around is an absolute sign of apathy. If a person does not cope with his problem for a certain time, a psychotic disorder will begin to affect his general he alth. Along with inspiration andvital energy in people, for example, appetite disappears. Against the background of emotional depression, the sensitivity of taste and olfactory receptors is inhibited, so even your favorite dishes cease to please. Sometimes patients refuse food altogether.
In any form, apathy makes you avoid contact with people. “I don’t want to communicate, it’s better for me to be alone,” patients say about this almost in one voice. It is much easier and more comfortable for the patient to be alone than to spend time with loved ones. Psychologists explain the lack of sociable mood by the fact that people lose moral strength and self-confidence with this diagnosis. A person does not want to communicate with people, because there is simply no energy left for communication. He deliberately minimizes any conversations. Persons in a lethargic state are unable to show initiative and activity in contact with other people.
Emotional depression affects not only the mood, but also negatively affects the degree of performance. Labor productivity drops so much that a person ceases to be sure that he will be able to perform even those tasks that he previously coped with without difficulty. Instead of cheerfulness and interest, the patient feels lethargy and drowsiness. He tends to sleep even before important meetings, and notes of indifference and indifference to what is happening are clearly audible in his voice.
Why don't you want to communicate with anyone, and your favorite activities now do not bring pleasure? Everyone comes to psychologists with this questionapathetic patients. Also, often people are interested in whether the disorder needs to be treated. Here the answer is obvious: with apathy, each patient needs the help of specialists and the support of a close environment, but to a greater extent, the effectiveness of therapy will depend on whether the person himself realizes that his life is wasted, and he needs urgent treatment.
Which doctor to contact
This state cannot be left to chance. To defeat apathy, you need to step over shame and shyness and turn to a specialist. You can consult both a psychologist and a psychiatrist or psychotherapist.
A psychologist has knowledge in this area and can give basic advice, but this specialist is not competent enough to make a diagnosis and prescribe medication. If the psychologist sees a problem, he refers the patient to a psychiatrist or psychotherapist. It is important to put aside all prejudices and stereotypes, because these specialists are visited not only by the mentally ill, but also by mentally he althy people. In addition, a psychiatrist can treat insomnia, various phobias, epilepsy and other diseases.
Practical advice from experts
If we analyze the most popular advice from psychologists and psychiatrists about the treatment of apathy, we can draw certain conclusions. According to most experts, at the first symptoms of this disorder, you should:
- Cope with laziness. By any means you need to force yourself to move. The easiest way is to go to the gym. During training, the patient will involuntarily sinkinto a state of languor and relaxation, which will distract from problems and gloomy thoughts.
- Don't stop talking. “I don’t want to meet and talk with anyone” - perhaps this is how a person suffering from apathy will answer. Most likely, he himself does not know what he refuses: evening gatherings with an old friend and a bottle of light wine are not such a bad cure for apathy and blues. Of course, if it is not abused.
- Fully rest, get enough sleep. Apathy often occurs in people who are constantly in an intense rhythm of life. You need to sleep at least 7-8 hours a day.
- Eat right. The psychological well-being of each of us largely depends on what we eat. The body must receive all the necessary vitamins and minerals. It is better to refuse semi-finished products and fast food forever.
- Listen to classical music. Scientists have repeatedly proven that the works of great authors are able to charge with positive energy and give high spirits, which is so lacking in apathy.
- Do yoga. If a person has lost the desire to communicate with people and engage in any activity, you can bring him back to life with the help of mantra yoga. The essence of the method lies in the singing of the sacred text, during which a special vibrational background is created that positively affects the psycho-emotional state.
- Get out of the daze. To end apathy, it is necessary to cause a surge of emotions. There is no universal recipe here: one person needs extreme sports, up to skydiving, while another may have enoughwatching your favorite comedy movie or energetic dancing.
- Refuse to regularly read or watch the news. Often, the media present information that causes irritation, fear, disappointment, envy, anger and other depressing emotions. Tragic news, shocking talk shows, TV programs about diseases can leave a negative imprint on the subconscious.
- Learn to manage your apathy. It is better to overpower yourself and start reading literature about psychological problems than to mope and toil from idleness.
If a patient has no desire to communicate with anyone, this does not mean that he is not prone to emotional empathy. Each of us, to a greater or lesser extent, can support another person. Therefore, those who suffer from apathy need to communicate more with energetic and cheerful people.
Apathy and exercise
Lack of desire to communicate and indifference to one's own life are clear signs of a psychotic disorder. But like any other disease, it is much easier to deal with it at the first symptoms. A patient who follows the above recommendations has no chance of losing the fight, but, one way or another, it will take serious volitional efforts. The main thing is not to get hung up on a depressed state. It is best to perceive apathy as a short-term phenomenon, a kind of time-out for rest and respite from the busy rhythm of life.
Many psychotherapists believe that a person who has lost the desire to communicate with people,has problems with physical he alth, poor he alth. The term “mental he alth” is also not accidental, which means peace of mind and well-being. “A he althy mind in a he althy body” - this saying is familiar to all of us since childhood, so the best prevention of any psychological problems is to maintain optimal physical fitness.
Exercising in the morning or a light workout in the gym is one of the recipes for improving the state of the nervous system. A couple of months of regular classes are enough to see how the mood stabilizes, the desire to live again, to do what you love, appears again. It doesn't matter what kind of sport the patient likes more - cycling or walking, swimming or kettlebell lifting - the main thing is to get much-needed emotions and again feel interest in satisfying one's own desires.
Hobbies as a way out of apathy
When asking yourself: "Why don't I want to communicate with people?", you must first of all pay attention to your sense of self and try to figure out what generally brings joy, a feeling of deep moral satisfaction. By doing what gives real pleasure, a person flourishes, expands his potentialities and ways for self-realization.
Each of us has certain abilities, has a penchant for one or another type of activity, and our favorite hobby always inspires, energizes and gives optimism. Therefore, a hobby can be considered a full-fledged way to deal with apathy.
How to understand that it is time to turn todoctor
If a person does not want to communicate with anyone, has become withdrawn and aloof, how to help him? Without qualified help, curing apathy can be difficult, but very often this phenomenon is not taken seriously enough. Therefore, it is important to understand that such manifestations are not inherent in a perfectly he althy person (in mental terms), unless, of course, he decided to take a break and refuse to communicate in order to think about many things in his life.
When a patient is apathetic, there is a significant decrease in the potential of resources and opportunities, and the motivation for productive work decreases. If a person has stopped monitoring his appearance, you should pay attention to whether there are signs of a depressive disorder in his behavior. This disease is really dangerous, as it can lead to a tragic end.
To understand that you cannot do without the intervention of professionals, you can use two fundamental points:
- Duration. If the blues lasts for several days, and then goes away on its own, nothing needs to be done about this manifestation. Otherwise, when a person refuses to communicate with others for more than two weeks in a row, this is a significant cause for concern.
- Severity of symptoms of apathy. If the disorder manifests itself in such a way that it does not affect the habitual way and style of life, most likely there is no urgent need to see a doctor. It is unlikely that it will be possible to cure apathy on your own if the symptoms of the disorder are pronounced.
How to understand that it's time to work together with professionals?Obvious symptoms are when the patient is unable to wake up and get ready for work in the morning, has practically stopped eating and drinking, washing clothes, taking care of himself, etc. If all these signs are present, there is no need to wait for anything, it is advisable to contact as soon as possible doctor. Information about psychotherapists and psychiatrists can usually be found on the websites of neuropsychiatric dispensaries in your city. All you need to do is call and make an appointment at a convenient time. The doctor will listen to all complaints and prescribe suitable drugs that will help restore the lost vitality and joy of life.
Some psychotherapists are skilled in hypnosis - one of the expensive, but powerful and effective ways to deal with psychotic disorders of various types. For high-quality provision of such services, you should contact only highly qualified specialists. The effect usually occurs after several sessions. The patient again begins to experience a surge of strength and vitality, is freed from fears, experiences and obsessive thoughts.
What to do if apathy is intermittent, but appears periodically? This violation can pretty much poison life for a long time. What to do in these cases? Many of the tips listed earlier help to cope with apathy. To use them, you do not need any special skills and conditions. However, they will become effective only if the person using them is aware of the need for treatment and combating apathy.condition.
Why does apathy arise and why does the desire to communicate with others disappear? If you figure it out, it will be much easier to deal with the problem. Just like that, nothing ever happens to the body: everything has its own physiological or psychosomatic reasons.
