Journal
DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION
Volume 37, Issue 7, Pages 611-619Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.3109/09638288.2014.939771
Keywords
Apathy; Parkinson's disease; phenomenology; psychological
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Purpose: Research has suggested that people with Parkinson's disease (PD) can experience apathy. This study explored the lived experiences of apathy in people with PD. Method: Seven participants with Parkinson's disease who were also described as having apathy were interviewed and the data analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: The findings were understood within three overlapping themes: (1) The apathy creeps into jobs that I used to be able to do and no longer can do: Reduced motivation in response to the consequences of impairment; (2) I hate at the end of the day if I've achieved nothing: The (un)acceptability of apathy; (3) They say 'come on you lazy b*gger, get something done': The social context of apathy. Conclusions: These themes are compared to wider research on apathy, PD and chronic illness. This study offers a view that, for some, apathy may be experienced as a number of behavioural choices influenced by increasing impairment and enacted in a social context. It presents an alternative conceptualisation from one describing apathy as the sole result of an endogenous disease process. As such, a number of therapeutic options are discussed but with the caveat that apathy need not always be the focus for intervention.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available