Author: Paul Ratner / Source: Big Think
- Give-up-itis or psychogenic death is a real and terrible condition, finds new research.
- People can die in as few as three days after a major trauma causes them to give up on life.
- There are 5 stages of give-up-itis.
Can you die simply by giving up the will to live?
Yes, concludes a new study, led by Dr. John Leach from the University of Portsmouth in the UK.The first-of-its-kind study looked at the phenomenon of “give-up-itis” – a word used for what is medically known as “psychogenic death”.
How is this possible? The research says “give-up-itis” can be catalyzed by a trauma that seems inescapable, with death appearing as a rational and inevitable thing to do. Without an interference, death can happen in as little as three days after the initial withdrawal from life.
What’s important to note about this condition is that it’s not the same as suicide.
“Psychogenic death is real,” said Dr. Leach. “It isn’t suicide, it isn’t linked to depression, but the act of giving up on life and dying usually within days, is a very real condition often linked to severe trauma.”
The doctor thinks give-up-itis could be caused by a change in the anterior cingulate circuit – a frontal-subcortical circuit of the brain, which controls motivation and the person’s goal-oriented behavior.
“Severe trauma might trigger some people’s anterior cingulate circuit to malfunction, ” explained Dr. Leach. “Motivation is essential for coping with life and…
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