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Apathy is a lack of emotion or interest in life, which can be caused by psychological or neurological disorders, trauma, or drug use. It is also used to describe voter disinterest in elections. Therapy can help, but there is no simple cure.
Apathy is an emotional state characterized by a lack of emotion or interest in a particular subject or in all elements of one’s life. Characteristics of apathy include a lack of passion and motivation, an absence of excitement or interest in any particular aspect of one’s life, and a lack of concern for one’s emotional and social well-being. Such a condition can be purely psychological in origin or it can come from a variety of neurological disorders. It can also be caused by regular use of powerful mind-altering drugs.
The modern use of the term “apathy” began during World War I. Soldiers who returned from war after experiencing the horrors of trench warfare, endless bombing and, in many cases, seeing friends and comrades die, became emotionally disconnected and had little interest in their own lives. Various forms of trauma, such as witnessing a horrific crime or fighting in a war, can lead to this lack of emotion. People who return from such experiences often find that nothing seems to matter compared to whatever they have experienced or seen. There is no simple cure for numbness caused by trauma, although different forms of therapy can help people in some cases.
Apathy is commonly one of many symptoms of a larger psychological or neurological disorder; treating the disorder can sometimes ease feelings of indifference. Such conditions include Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and hypothyroidism. Depression is also commonly characterized by indifference and lack of emotional engagement with people and activities, although the connection between depression and apathy has not been fully explored. Similar symptoms have also been linked to the use and abuse of powerful mind-altering drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Whether it is the physical effects on brain chemistry or purely psychological effects, users of such drugs sometimes find that they care very little about all elements of their lives that are unrelated to the substance they are addicted to.
The term is also commonly used in the social and political sciences. “Voter apathy,” for example, describes a condition in which a significant portion of a population chooses not to vote because they are not interested in the outcome of an election. People may choose not to vote because they feel their votes have little chance of significantly influencing the outcome of the election or that the outcome of the election is insignificant.
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