What Is Avolition And How Can It Be Treated?

When it comes to sticking to certain things, most people experience a lack of motivation. Accomplishing things can be quite challenging if you have to drag your feet forward. Avolition is a condition that is about something more than just a lack of motivation. Suppose you want to complete something but lack the emotional bandwidth and the physical ability to do so. In such a case, you might be experiencing avolition. It paralyzes you and overcoming that paralysis through willpower, logic, or reason becomes an uphill task. It feels like you are at a dead end and don’t know how to turn around. However, you can overcome this condition with the help of therapy or medication.

What Is Avolition?

Significant lack of motivation or sheer inability to accomplish tasks can be described as avolition. More than a mental health condition, it can be called a behavioral symptom. When you experience avolition, getting things done becomes an arduous task. Despite knowing that you will have to face the consequences if you don’t complete a task, you fail to motivate yourself. For example, you have bills to pay within a stipulated date and failing to do so can cause you a penalty, yet you are unable to make the payments.

Similarly, suppose you have to complete a very important project and there is a deadline for it. Owing to avolition, you will fail to meet the deadline despite being aware that you might lose the job. Even staying healthy and maintaining proper appearance or personal hygiene can be overpowering for some. You might not even know that all these things are happening until someone makes you aware of them. Avolition and procrastination are not similar. The latter is related to seeking out distractions so that you could put off your pending work for a later time.

Signs Of Avolition

Avolition is not about being lazy or unwilling. The signs of it vary in people. When you are at home, you don’t feel like getting out of bed for hours. You watch the trash piling up but cannot do anything about it. Brushing your teeth or taking a shower is very difficult. You have a hard time putting things back in place, and find it extremely difficult to complete certain tasks within the deadline. You can do nothing the whole day and just waste time. All these are signs of avolition.

At work, you just drag yourself during projects, face trouble while completing an assigned task, don’t feel like organizing your workstation, or simply lack enthusiasm. In relationships, you don’t feel like participating in social activities, face difficulty in making eye contact, have limited conversation with your loved one, or feel completely detached. These are nothing but signs of avolition.

Can Avolition Be Classified As A Mental Health Condition?

Rather than being classified as a mental health condition, avolition can be best described as a symptom commonly found in people suffering from mental health conditions, such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that every individual who has been experiencing the symptoms of avolition must be having the above three mental health conditions. If you are looking for an accurate diagnosis, feel free to contact a health professional.

Treatment of Avolition

Therapy, medications, and certain adjustments in an individual’s lifestyle can be combined to treat avolition. CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy can help in developing social skills and carrying out day-to-day activities. Medications like Cariprazine, Haloperidol, Clozapine, Brexpiprazole, Olanzapine, and Iloperidone can help in treatment, but medications can also worsen the condition at times. Therefore, you must keep track of medications you are take and always consult a doctor before you proceed.

Aside from these, a diet laden with nutrients, getting a sound sleep of 7 to 9 hours each night, spending quality time with your loved ones, coming into contact with nature, and meditating are small lifestyle changes that you need to focus on.

All the areas that your life revolves around can be affected by avolition. Remember, experiencing avolition is not your fault. It is a complex condition. However, the symptoms can be treated so there is no need to worry.