> even getting to the stage of seeing a doctor can fail, because suddenly everything is 'pointless' (bad wording. sorry.)

Everything actually is pointless, since all matter and energy will dissipate from entropy on a long enough time span. Also everyone you know will be dead in 100 years, most likely.

Also most of these people would go see their doctor if there was a million dollars in gold waiting there for them. It's not that 'everything is pointless' is the reason preventing them, but rather that there isn't enough significance in seeing the doctor.