not always successful and this has opened the door to alternative methods of treatment. The first step to successful treatment of abulia, or any other DDM, is a preliminary evaluation of the patient's general medical condition and fixing the problems that can be fixed easily. This may mean controlling seizures or headaches, arranging physical or cognitive rehabilitation for cognitive and sensorimotor loss, or ensuring optimal hearing, vision, and speech. These elementary steps also increase motivation because improved physical status may enhance functional capacity, drive, and energy and thereby increase the patient's expectation that initiative and effort will be successful. There are 5 steps to pharmacological treatment: Optimize medical status. Diagnose and treat other conditions more specifically associated with diminished motivation (e.g., apathetic hyperthyroidism, Parkinson's disease). Eliminate or reduce doses of psychotropics and other agents that aggravate motivational loss (e.g., SSRIs, dopamine antagonists). Treat depression efficaciously when both DDM and depression are present. Increase motivation through use of stimulants, dopamine agonists, or other agents such as cholinesterase inhibitors. Society and culture A case of abulia after a transient ischemic attack in the frontal lobes is depicted in the episode "House Training" of the drama series House, M.D.. See also Avolition References External links Symptoms and signs: Nervous system Symptoms and signs of mental disorders Motivation