Apathy

Apathy, also called indifference, is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest or concern, marked by the suppression of motivation, excitement or passion and an absence of goal orientation. It falls on the spectrum of diminished motivation between abulia and the more extreme akinetic mutism. People with severe apathy lack a sense of purpose or meaning, report lower quality of life, and face higher risk of mortality and early institutionalization. Apathy is distinguished from reduced affect display, which describes diminished emotional expression without necessarily diminished feeling. Pathological apathy occurs across many brain disorders, including neurodegenerative conditions associated with dementia such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, and psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. Although apathy frequently co-occurs with depression, research has shown the two are dissociable, since apathy can occur independent of depression and depression can occur without apathy.