Insensitivity

Insensitivity refers to reduced or absent responsiveness to stimuli or to others' emotions. It can describe physical sensory deficits as well as social or affective unresponsiveness.

In medical contexts, insensitivity denotes diminished sensation, such as hypoesthesia, anesthesia, or congenital insensitivity to pain. Causes include nerve injury, neuropathies, spinal cord damage, diabetes, autoimmune disease, infections, and adverse medications. Such conditions can pose safety risks due to unnoticed injuries or illnesses and may require evaluation and treatment of the underlying cause.

In psychosocial terms, insensitivity describes difficulty recognizing or responding to others' feelings or social cues. It may appear as emotional detachment, lack of empathy, or insensitivity to social consequences. It can be associated with certain personality disorders, acquired brain injury, autism spectrum conditions, or alexithymia, though it is not confined to any single diagnosis.

Assessment may involve sensory testing or emotion-recognition tasks. Management depends on the underlying cause: physical insensitivity may require medical treatment, safety precautions, or rehabilitation; social insensitivity might benefit from education, social-skills training, or psychotherapy.

See also: hypoesthesia, numbness, anesthesia, empathy, social cognition, alexithymia.