While a lack of motivation is not an inherent sign of a mental disorder, it is often symptomatic of clinical depression. Avolition can be the primary symptom of certain mood disorders, such as bipolar depression, or a secondary feature of an anxiety disorder, such as post-trauma stress syndrome (PTSD).
The term avolition describes a significant decrease in initiation, motivation, and goal-directed behavior. 1 It is not a specific medical health condition but rather a symptom experienced by people with conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common mental disorders. Symptoms vary from person to person, but may include sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, pessimism, irritability, worthlessness, and fatigue. These symptoms interfere with a person's ability to work, sleep, eat, and enjoy their life.
The loss of motivation can cause a vicious cycle to occur in a person who is struggling with depression. The person may stop participating in activities and as a result feel guilty for stopping. This can lead to even more lack of motivation and incompleteness of tasks and activities.
Lack of motivation can happen when someone is experiencing life stressors or changes, such as going away to school, changing jobs or work burnout, the death of a loved one, the ending of a relationship, illness, overwhelm, or other major life transitions.
Bipolar depression is a period of low mood, fatigue, and lack of motivation that someone with bipolar disorder may experience.
“When people appear to lack motivation, it is because they are exhausted, traumatized, in need of support, or do not see any logical incentive to taking part in a task,” he says. Other experts are less dismissive of laziness.
Depression and low motivation go hand-in-hand. That said, while a lack of motivation is one of depression's most common symptoms, it can be caused by other factors, too.
Losing interest or pleasure in activities or people that once gave you enjoyment, may be due to overworking, relationship problems or being in a temporary rut. However, a loss of interest in many things or people, that is ongoing, can sometimes be a sign you have a mental health condition.
It could be you have an underlying mental health issue or mental disorder that needs attention. Depression is the most common mental health issue that has low motivation as a symptom. The onset of low motivation is for many long-term depression sufferers a sign they are falling into another cycle.
Mental laziness and lack of motivation can also be caused by one simple problem: not having enough exercise and nutrients in the body. One should consider eating healthy food high in protein, such as green, leafy vegetables, and fatty fish. Research also suggests eating berries and walnuts and drinking coffee or tea.
A study using mice suggests certain neurotransmitters — notably dopamine — may play a role in motivation for people living with ADHD. Lower levels of this neurotransmitter can affect reward centers in the brain, causing a lack of enthusiasm for starting or completing tasks.
The diagnosis (and not – I hasten to add – the symptoms) have shaped my adult identity and experiences. People with bipolar experience both episodes of severe depression and episodes of mania – overwhelming joy, excitement or happiness, huge energy, a reduced need for sleep, and reduced inhibitions.
Cyclothymia, or cyclothymic disorder, causes mood changes – from feeling low to emotional highs. Cyclothymia has many similarities to bipolar disorder.
You may experience symptoms of depression, plus mania or hypomania at the same time. For example, you may feel very energised and impulsive, while feeling upset or tearful. Or you may feel very agitated or irritable. You may also experience highs and lows very quickly after the other, within the same day or hour.
Modafinil
Modafinil is a strong nootropic and a wakefulness-promoting agent widely used to treat ADD and narcolepsy. Many people regard it as the best alternative to Adderall due to its effectiveness and safety. Modafinil boosts cognition, motivation levels and helps in maintaining focus for extended periods of time.
Symptoms of schizophrenia include psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorder (unusual ways of thinking), as well as reduced expression of emotions, reduced motivation to accomplish goals, difficulty in social relationships, motor impairment, and cognitive impairment.
Like most other serious mental health conditions, bipolar disorder can significantly affect your motivation. Both manic and depressive episodes can make you feel less motivated, although in different ways.
The anterior cingulate cortex (attention area) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (cognitive control area) are the main neural circuits related to regulation of motivation.
In his Human Motivation theory, McClelland distinguishes three needs (power, affiliation, and achievement) and argues that human motivation is a response to changes in affective states.
One possible reason for feeling tired, anxious, and weak is having low levels of iron, vitamin D, or B12.
It's completely normal to feel unmotivated at times, especially about work. Maybe there's a task you've been ducking for weeks or a new project that's taken the wind out of your sails. Whatever the cause, it can be downright impossible to get things done when those feelings hit. And that's OK.