It has to do with a person’s level of alertness and their knowledge of themselves and the environment that surrounds them (who I am, how old I am, where I am, who is with me, etc.).
One of the alterations of consciousness is obtundation, that is, consciousness becomes less lucid. Obtundation is characterized by a decrease in psychic elaborations, thoughts are difficult and incomplete and events in the environment require great intensity to become conscious (decreased reactivity). In addition, problems are observed with attention (aprosexia or hypoprosexia), perception, memory and association of ideas (; ).
Obtundation is considered one of the mildest degrees of clouding of consciousness, which can go unnoticed unless a thorough examination is performed ().
This symptom can be observed in cases of intoxication by psychoactive substances, as a consequence of head trauma, after epileptic seizures or other diseases that affect the brain ().