Young people in society

Provided by the Professional Order of Social Workers of Québec (Ordre professionnel des travailleurs sociaux du Québec), these articles are intended to help you deal with everyday life. They could also help you help a friend!

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What is amotivational syndrome?

by Claire Leduc, Social Worker, Family and Marriage Counsellor

Before this phenomenon had been given a scientific name, in the conferences I gave, I used to speak of "brain softening" brought on by regular use of drugs such as cannabis and LSD.

In my opinion, amotivational syndrome is underestimated by drug users and their supporters who advocate legalizing these substances.

How does a person with amotivational syndrome behave?

According to important research on the topic¹, the behaviour of a person with amotivational syndrome is characterized by apathy, loss of effectiveness, loss of interest in the outside world and in social contact, passivity, low tolerance for frustrations and loss of interest in the future. However, these attitudes develop gradually. For example, take a young father of three children. He has been smoking a joint or two of cannabis each day since the age of 15. Because he has a high-strung temperament, he smokes cannabis to relax. For several years, he worked regularly for a paint company, but he quit his permanent job because he thought his bosses were too demanding. From then on, his spouse had to ask for food baskets from a volunteer centre to make ends meet. Within the last three years, the young man's moods have changed; he shouts and rages and can no longer stand his children's teasing. He no longer helps out with the household chores, he doesn't want to spend time alone with his spouse and he doesn't go pick up his children's report cards because he thinks their current school is too stupid. The mother can't leave him alone with the children anymore, because he sometimes uses dangerous tools without taking necessary precautions. Unfortunately, he doesn't want to consult a psychotherapist and becomes more distrustful every day.

This downward spiral has spanned some fifteen years. At first, these attitudes weren't noticeable, but as time went by, the springs of his motivation, will and sense of initiative became stretched and worn.

These attitudes carry considerable consequences for drug users, for their families and for their social environment. Many dropouts and street youth suffer from this syndrome. Some have also experienced toxic psychoses from cocaine intoxication preceded by consumption of cannabis. In such cases, the drug users must be hospitalized for several weeks to recuperate and long-term consequences, including amotivational syndrome, frequently occur.

There are many prevention centres and resource centres in Quebec. Even though several people who get help from these centres relapse, a large number of patients are successfully detoxified and regain control of their lives. It's an impressive personal victory!

1. Under Louis Léonard and Mohamed Ben Amar, Les psychotropes, pharmacologie et toxicomanie, Presses de l'Université de Montréal, 2002: 644.

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