Amotivational syndrome is a chronic psychiatric disorder characterized by cognitive and emotional states such as detachment, blunted emotions and drives, deficits in executive functions like working memory and attention, disinterest, passivity, apathy, and a general lack of motivation. It is divided into two subtypes: marijuana amotivational syndrome (or cannabis-induced amotivational syndrome), caused by usage or dependency on that substance and is primarily associated with the long-term effects of cannabis use, According to the Handbook of Clinical Psychopharmacology for Therapists, amotivational syndrome is a possible side effect of SSRI treatment of clinical depression. It is a disorder of diminished motivation.
Signs and symptoms
Amotivational syndrome has been suspected to affect the frontal cortex or frontal lobe of the brain by the impairment of that region which monitors cognitive functions and skills that revolve around emotional expression, decision making, prioritisation, and internal, purposeful mental action. It is most often detected through signs that are linked to apathy such as disinhibited presentations, short and long term memory deficit or amnesia, a lack of emotional display also known as emotional blunting, relative disinterest, passivity, and reluctance to participate in prolonged activities that require attention or tenacity. The user is slowly weaned off usage through urine monitoring, self-help groups, education, and therapy in different treatment settings such as group, family, and individual therapy
Current research and discourse
Cannabis amotivational syndrome
Though there is a prevalent relationship between cannabis consumption and amotivational syndrome, there is still some considerable debate that exists around cannabis consumption causing amotivational syndrome meaning that it may not be a single entity but rather a collection of behaviors that form the result of a combination of effects of an already existent or reactive depression that occurs alongside cannabis’s ability to facilitate a unique attention state. Trait absorption is often mentioned within discourses surrounding cannabis-induced amotivational syndrome and it states that the traits associated with a large majority of marijuana users, which are similar to traits found in those who have amotivational syndrome, such as boredom and a general feeling of disconnect, are absorbed and taken up by the cannabis user. Amotivational syndrome still ranks high among the key problems associated with the drug, with researchers having adopted the phrase "amotivational" to describe lethargic cannabis users. The US Department of Health and Human Services also warns that usage in youth may result in amotivational symptoms such as an apathetic approach to life, fatigue, and poor academic and work performance. Participants in this study demonstrated "the same willingness to exert effort on tasks while high as when they were not". Cannabis use did however led to "decreased self-regulation, making users more impulsive and less orderly", which could be mistaken for amotivational syndrome.
SSRI-induced amotivational syndrome
thumb|Neuroimaging of lesions in the basal ganglia
Most research in psychological fields regarding amotivational syndrome caused by SSRI treatment has revolved around case studies and anecdotal reports to understand how SSRI medication influences levels of motivation and apathy in patients. There is considerable overlap in the clinical presentations of apathy and amotivation and depression. Many patients with amotivational or apathy syndrome reported that they felt a lack of motivation that was unlike what they had sometimes experienced during previous episodes or depression, or that their feelings of apathy had no link to depression. Apathy syndrome has also been reported in a number of patients that have received or are receiving selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment over the last decade, which has also been linked to a deficit in the performance and activities of daily living, signaling a functional decline.