Apathy is a lack or suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation and passion. The word is derived from Greek a- (without) + pathos (emotion). Other words often pass as synonyms, or are considered at least similar, such as: detachment, disinterest, disregard, doldrums, impassiveness, indifference, insensibility, lassitude, lethargy, listlessness, nonchalance, torpor, and others.
Apathy has been felt after witnessing horrific circumstances, such as wartime conditions. It is also known to be associated with many medical conditions such as: Alzheimer’s disease, Chagas’ disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, dementia, excessive vitamin D, general fatigue, Huntington’s disease, Pick’s disease, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and schizophrenia. Medications and other substances may promote apathy as a side effect.
During the First World War the appalling conditions of the Western Front led to apathy and shell shock among millions of soldiers. Upon dealing with shell shock and other traumatic experiences, those who became apathetic often had no emotion or thought process about murder and death in general. In present day in Iran this term is often blamed as an aftermath of the Iran-Iraq War.
Originally posted 2008-07-18 17:16:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter