A Qualitative Study of the Experience of Motivation Loss in Adolescents with Atypical Depression

Abstract

This study aimed to qualitatively explore the lived experience of motivation loss in adolescents with atypical depression and identify its cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions. This qualitative research used a descriptive phenomenological approach. Nineteen adolescents diagnosed with atypical depression from Tehran were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews, conducted until theoretical saturation was reached. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically using NVivo 12 software. Thematic analysis revealed three main themes: (1) Inner Sense of Incapacity (including mental fatigue, meaninglessness of activities, cognitive rumination on failures, etc.); (2) Disengagement from the External World (social withdrawal, indifference to external feedback, detachment from goals, etc.); and (3) Emotional and Cognitive Fluctuations (emotional duality, thought entrapment, discrepancy between desire and ability, etc.). These themes reflected a multilayered experience of demotivation influenced by personal and interpersonal factors. Findings suggest that motivation loss in adolescents with atypical depression is the result of complex interactions between internal and external variables, experienced as mental exhaustion, hopelessness, social isolation, and loss of meaning. These insights may inform therapeutic interventions focusing on emotional awareness, social engagement, and value-based goal setting.