Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!
Lonely Madness: The Effects of Solitary Confinement and Social Isolation on Mental and Emotional Health
Biology 202, Spring 2005
Third Web Papers
On Serendip
Lonely Madness: The Effects of Solitary Confinement and Social Isolation on Mental and Emotional Health
Carly Frintner
By Carly Frintner
Paper #3 for Neurobiology and Behavior, Spring 2005
Professor Paul Grobstein
I began to research the effects of solitary confinement on prisoners' behavior while thinking about the ways in which we isolate ourselves from others, or are isolated by others in our daily lives. I cherish and am very protective of my own chosen moments of solitude, but I also know that long periods of time alone can send me into a depressive state, or make me feel like I'm going crazy. More specifically, a kind of panic sets in when I realize I'm alone with my thoughts with no one to affirm or deny the validity of what I'm thinking. When I'm by myself for too long, I start to question my own understanding of reality—of who I really am and what the world is really like. I need interactions with other people because they are such a significant part of how I understand and enjoy my life and my reason for living. All people seem to depend on varying amounts and intensities of social interaction to keep them happy, stable, and sane. This is not surprising given that human beings are social animals by nature.
Human beings are also naturally curious. Drastically reducing the amount of "normal social interaction, of reasonable mental stimulus, of exposure to the natural world, of almost everything that makes life human and bearable, is emotionally, physically, and psychologically destructive" (2) because it denies us the ability to ask questions and seek reasons and information to form explanations that allow us to understand ourselves as well as our world and our place and purpose in the world. It is logical that we feel less stable and secure overall when the things that our brain and body rely on to connect to and understand our surroundings are taken away from us.
In class, we have occasionally discussed how we check in with other people to get an understanding of ourselves. In one extreme example, we recalled a final scene of the movie "A Beautiful Mind" in which Professor John Nash asked a student to verify that there was a man standing there talking to him. Because Nash's schizophrenia often caused him to hallucinate, he relied on other people to assure him what he was seeing was not just his own reality, but the reality of the world (including other people). We all do this to a certain degree, though probably to check much less subtle information than whether a person is or is not actually a hallucination.
Out of the more than 20,000 prisoners in the United States, about 2% are currently living in "super maximum security ("supermax") facilities or units. Prisoners in these facilities typically spend their waking and sleeping hours locked in small, sometimes windowless, cells sealed with solid steel doors. A few times a week they are let out for showers and solitary exercise in a small, enclosed space. Supermax prisoners have almost no access to educational or recreational activities or other sources of mental stimulation and are usually handcuffed, shackled and escorted by two or three correctional officers every time they leave their cells. Assignment to supermax housing is usually for an indefinite period that may continue for years." (2)
I have sometimes gone for hours and even days with very minimal human contact. As a result, I experienced anxiety, depression, and a feeling of being disconnected from the world around me, even though I had complete freedom to go wherever I wanted. Prisoners who are isolated for prolonged periods of time have been known to experience "depression, despair, anxiety, rage, claustrophobia, hallucinations, problems with impulse control, and/or an impaired ability to think, concentrate, or remember." (2) Studies have also shown that isolation can cause "impaired vision and hearing... tinnitus [(ringing in the ears)], weakening of the immune system, amenorrhea [(absence of menstrual periods in women)], premature menopause... and aggressive behavior in prisoners, volunteers and animals." (1)
Previously healthy prisoners have "develop[ed] clinical symptoms usually associated with psychosis or severe affective disorders" (2) including "all types of psychiatric morbidity." (4) Many have committed suicide.
Individuals do vary in how well they can deal with living in isolation, however. (4) For prisoners with pre-existing mental or emotional disorders, living without normal human interaction, physical and mental activity and stimulation can aggravate their symptoms to levels equivalent to torture. (2), (3) In one complaint filed against the Connecticut Department of Correction in August 2003, social isolation and sensory deprivation drove some prisoners to "lash out by swallowing razors, smashing their heads into walls or cutting their flesh." (3)
It is difficult if not impossible to pinpoint the exact reasons why social isolation and sensory deprivation in solitary confinement situations causes mental and emotional breakdown in prisoners. However, in addition to the stimuli and interactions they are denied, we might also consider how people's minds are affected by others controlling every aspect of their lives, from where they are and how long they will be there to how much food they get and when, to light and noise levels, to what possessions they are allowed to have, to when or if their clothes, bedding and rooms are cleaned, to when and if they get to have fresh air.
How does the absolute denial of freedom, the denial of any kind of personal power or influence over one's life, affect the way he thinks, feels and acts? Certainly the impact is different for each person. But are there patterns across cultures and time in how slaves, prisoners, people living under a dictator, and children grounded by their parents react similarly to the denial of freedom? Are the patterns in reactions solely human, or do they extend to other animals, for instance, animals that are caged or otherwise restricted in pet stores, zoos or circuses? Do all animals, including human beings, feel and understand injustice on some level and therefore react to it similarly? Or are humans reduced to more stereotypically animalistic behavior when they are trapped and controlled? "In some states, the conditions are so extreme-e.g., lack of windows, denial of reading material, a maximum of three hours a week out-of-cell time, lack of outdoor recreation-that they can only be explained as reflecting an unwillingness to acknowledge the inmates' basic humanity." (2) Can people retain their humanity without the constant affirmation of their humanity through positive contact with other human beings? How do human beings' behaviors and thought processes shift when the human beings around them refuse to accept their shared humanity?
I am thinking more about the brain's needs based on my research on this particular topic. The physical, mental and emotional effects of living in solitary confinement seem to be beyond the control of the person experiencing them. It seems that the brain needs a certain quantity, quality, or type of stimuli to help regulate, direct and prioritize thought processes and other brain functions properly. It could mean that without certain (or enough) stimuli, the level of random activity in the nervous system increases—such as brain activity that causes hallucinations.
When inputs are all coming from the same place, parts of the unconscious experience the same inputted information differently because they are all interpreting the information with different randomness. The randomness helps us make connections between sets of inputted information and our own prior knowledge to ultimately create a story that explains our situation and surroundings. This story informs the "I"-function, which allows us to experience and understand the situation/surroundings personally. (5)
In an environment with very minimal stimulation, such as a prison cell, the randomness with which the unconscious explores the environment continues, although it is unclear whether randomization increases when fewer stimuli are reaching the brain. Perhaps the brain attempts to compensate for stimuli it is missing by creating stimuli of its own, that is, by increasing random activity. Either way, when the brain is not receiving much input from the environment, there is little information based in reality that the unconscious can focus on or try to interpret. The story reported back to the "I"-function is more likely informed by more random connections than real facts about reality because reality is not offering enough stimuli to make a coherent story. This helps explain why people often experience mental and emotional breakdowns and psychotic episodes when in solitary confinement for extended periods of time.
References
1)F-Type Isolation Prisons in Turkey
2)Supermax Prisons: An Overview
3)Lawsuits Attack Isolated Prison Conditions for Mentally Ill , Mental Health Law Weekly; Prison Health. April 2, 2005.
4)Isolation and Mental Health, NHS National Electronic Library for Health.
5) The Brain's Images: Co-Constructing Reality and Self , Paul Grobstein. May 2002. (And conversation May 2005.)
6) Isolation, Breakdowns and Mysterious Injections. , Vikram Dodd, Richard Norton-Taylor and Rosie Cowan. January 26, 2005. From The Guardian (UK), via Common Dreams News Center.
7) Mental Issues in Long-Term Solitary and "Supermax" Confinement., Craig Haney.
Comments made prior to 2007
If mankind can be identified as a social animal, it seems absolute that involuntary social isolation from whatever source can be deemed cruel and unusual punishment, whether in a home under a parent, spouse, in a work environment with overly regimented rules that ignore human needs, or in institutional settings where what is seen, heard, felt, etc. is all controlled by someone else. To be sure, it isn't autonomy, and one would expect that adverse physiological and mental effects would be the outcome of that environment. Consider for example, the isolation of girls or boys in trafficking or prostitution where they are not allowed out at all.
Much different from self imposed isolation, but perhaps not free from ill effects; consider the Howard Hughes case where fear prevented him from social engagement.
In theory, the principle of R&R for the military is to reduce the high intensity concentration of rigid over-regimentation that is required in wars, and therefore, requires some consideration of the human features of physical and mental requirements of humans.
Humans are universal in these needs, but humanity sometimes doesn't recognize these basics, and act accordingly, or permit ourselves the humanity to insure that this facility is respected, and acknowledged in order to make that possible.
To the best extent of our capability, the concept of being human is rarely discussed, planned for, etc., and quite often, humans are left to their own devices without sufficient liberty insurance to help themselves. What is inhumane or not is not a matter of perspective but what is universally recognized as necessary, as it would be for any other primate, or animal.
To suggest that community health is a community affair would not be wrong in that case, and it applies regardless of circumstances. Humans, like all other animals have needs, and perhaps, as much, if not more than other animals ... Pat, 10 May 2007
Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities
Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities has 50 remote-ready activities, which work for either your classroom or remote teaching.
About Student Papers
| This paper reflects the research and thoughts of a student at the time the paper was written for a course at Bryn Mawr College. Like other materials on Serendip, it is not intended to be "authoritative" but rather to help others further develop their own explorations. Web links were active as of the time the paper was posted but are not updated. |
What's New? Subscribe to Serendip Studio
A Random Walk
New Topics
-
4 weeks 1 day ago
-
4 weeks 4 days ago
-
4 weeks 4 days ago
-
4 weeks 5 days ago
-
4 weeks 5 days ago
Comments
Lockdown update
I'm no psychologist but I think since the lockdown started there are already several reported cases of suicide, anxiety and depression that is linked to isolation, I think we as a society we are not designed to be alone and if someone take that away from us there will be a huge effect for sure. At the moment I'm glad there are several countries now are slowly opening up - this is a good sign for all of us.
Counsellor in Manchester
My name is Beverley Sandler and I am a highly qualified Counsellor in Manchester. I read your post with great interest and can relate to a lot of what you have said.
Just a quick thank you for creating the content and if you ever need any insight into Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or Wellness Coaching I would be more than happy to help.
life
i just realise maybe its too late for me im mad
Response to your comment
Hello. Would you like to explain further? I'm a good listener.
The void ^^
When you look into the void, the void looks into you^^.. Well.. well well.. I've been there friends, living in the forest, no friends to speak of, I asked for it, I denied it, I accepted the howling vortex of nothing..Perhaps born unto it, spawned form it, its the ultimate trip.. I made friends with the things I was familiar with, "rope" ," knife" tent", those were my companions.. they took on personas almost because my level of excitement peaked when we interacted..but added to it were the gators and bears, possums and coons.. i felt a little crazy sometimes, downright cookoo other times.. I will say this, if you are lonely come to China, I'm here now and not very lonely at all. There's another world of stimulus, more English jobs than you can shake a stick at. Sell the boat and the house, get out.. study, help others.. live and love friends.. too much nothing gave me a seizure.. my ski turned blue and heavy metal throbbed through my ears I looked like a corpse, as cold and as empty as space.. avoid the void. :) haha two years ago I was the International judge of English for China Central Television.. Things will change.. NOTHING stays the same.
So says I- Springwater founder of NOTHING Coffee aka Nada Cafe
move away
enviroment and surroundings are everything, if you are lonely depressed and stressing out then just get away from where you are living and go somewhere else. There are places in this world where people are antisocial, rude, hateful and pessimistic, you dont need that kind of negativity in your life, Please go find your own "Silvertown"( as seen in the movie "Joe Dirt") lol. I was living in a place that was full of terrible people and i just could not understand what was wromg, i blamed myself, i thought i was inadequate and undesireable a looser, but it was not me. these were unhappy, trouble making, hateful people, i tried everything to make them like me, often thinking i could change them, that i just had to try harder, i went throught the isolation phases(i'll just stay away and they cant hurt me) but i would get too lonely and j would try again and get hurt again. then one day i just said screw it. , i cashed my paycheck, withdrew about three thousand doallars j had in savings and i drove away from that place, i drove 600 hundred miles away to a place i had visited a few times when i was young, a place i had liked and felt good at, i did a little aski.g around and found the people that i had met there(it was a summer vacation place that i had visited with a family member when i was young) they still ljved there they remembered me and were suprised to see me and hear that i had decided to just up amd move away to live there. but strangest of all....or i should say, greatest of all...they were friendly optomistic people, they invited me to the pub and biught me a beer, they told me where to find work and affordable housing, i was invited to parties and concerts and camping trips, i instantly had friends, and quickly realized that these people had no ill or evil motives, they were just genuinly nice friendly people, and not just to me(because i was the new kid in town) but they were like this to each other as well. Alas i had found my "Silvertown" so the Moral of this story..you are a victim of your enviroment and surroundings, if you are unhappy where you are do what is nessesary to get away from a negative people and place. their is no reason to be miserable, maybe check a few places out first spend a few days there, you'll be able to tell when people genuinly seem friendly and if you feel good about your surroundings...i mean do some.research amd be prepaired, i dont want anyone movi.g someplace on a whim amd ending up in the gutter, find the place you'be always thought about and go check it out, life is too short to live in a negative enviroment with negative people, their really are nice people and nice places to live , go out and find it and start enjoying your life, you owe it to yourself. thsnk you all and please forgive my grammer and spelling as these reply windows give my phones keyboard the fits..lol and good luck
You will find differences in
You will find differences in people from town to town, region to region, apartment building to apartment building. People talk so idealistically about just packing up and moving. Unemployment and low wages, debt, poverty, suffering are worse right now than they have been in the 1930's. Who can afford to just move to another location. And if what you mean by more positive people is some high rent/high property compound in some small town in Arizona or Vermont with a bunch of white racist people with smiles and who recycle and are only concerned about their pets then i'll pass.
re-to guest reply
No, the place i moved to is a multi-racial city. Its a very low income area in an old neighboorhood. It has murderers, rapists, junkies, gangs and thieves just like every city. Its the majority of the populations upbeat attitude, good nature and sense of humor that appeals to me. We have a saying there "I got no time for stupid sh!+" And if you accidentally bump into a stranger (any stranger) inside the Kmart most people will say "hello" smile, and make a little small talk. I just wanted to help anyone that is lonely, depressed, miserable, or even loosi.g the will to live just because they are living in anrude antisocial hateful place. Please dont blame yourself, its not your fault. I went through years of confusion and depression necause i thought i did not belong in this world. The first city i lived in looked almost exactly like the city i live in now. Its just the one was full of a hateful bunch and the one i live in now has a much nicer bunch. My original reply was to explain how being all alone with no friends is a type of solitary confinement and as you cant change people you can change your enviroment. Maybe i just got lucky, and yes i was young and wasnt married and didnt have children so it was easier for me to move away. I am just suggesting it as way to cure yourself of the terrible solitary feeling of living someplace where you do not have one friend to talk to. Sorry i strayed so far from the original "solitary confinement" topic...i just thought maybe my experience could help some lonely folks. Have a nice day everyone :)
To spacecat on solitary confinement
Why defend your comment? Please don't react to negative sh*t.
wow. the first paragraph
wow. the first paragraph alone i could relate to
Me too
Me too
re-wow the first para
so many times i hear people say..."oh people are the same everywhere" but its not true, i often thought that i didnt belong in this world, and that life sucked, i didnt understand why i was so miserable and i didnt understand it until i moved away and met other people and realized it was not me. otherwise i may have never figured it out. so please dont blame yourselfes people. sometimes i have to go back and visit this place because of some family reasons and i see some of these people and old aquaintances and i see that nothimg has changed. its all the same mean spirited pessimistic doom and gloom. i tell them about where i live now and they look at me with anugly face like i am stupid. the only way to change your eviroment and surroundings is to take yourself to a different enviroment and surroundings. i hope this story can help anyone who is experiencing the same things that i was experiencing.
Life without women
Are you a man that cannot get girlfriends do to your poor financial situation ? Do you feel bad about yourself, that you are not good enough ? Let's face it, the poorer you are the less chances there is that you will find or keep any girlfriend. The more women excel in the world, as they are dramatically, the more demands they have for you to be successful. I'd like to encourage you that there is a shift happening in society, where men will not be chasing women. It is happening slow. What to do in this time is accept the solitude, and educate yourself. Focus on self improvement in all aspects to make money. Do not waste your valuable time on date sites or on women at all. Make money, do whatever it takes, stay strong. It is not you as a person, it is your bank account. When you feel lonely, make guy friends who can support you. Due to the internet, even if you have lots of money, women are on and off the plenty of fish site monthly, each time returning for an ego boost. Keep your confidence up and work on yourself. I have spent 8 years alone and I am a good looking guy. It has given me the opportunity to focus on myself and realize people for who they are. Materialistic
A life of primarily solitude
I would tend to agree with 97-98% of what this dude just said. I appreciate the advice to focus on accumulating wealth. I needed that advice. Also I completly agree that its extremely foolish to worry oneself with women. Thats dead on as well. The dudes who brag about how many girls theyve been with have dicks for brains. The only thing that I would add would be that a low maintainence girl thats interested in you is not bad to have as an acquaintance. As long as your not the one working to keep the connection. But hey thats me, dudes piss me off.
I want isolation
I like to go to isolation. I want to go to a deep forest or isolated Mountain. I want to be quiet. I want to stop talk and stop think. I want to go into a deep state of meditation. There are so called saints in India. They go to mountains for years. They can sit and meditate for years. Alone and sometimes without having food. As long as we are attached to people and stimuli then we can go mad of isolation but if we let go of that we can Enjoy isolation. When the outher world gets quiet. Or when we gets denied to be a part of it. Then we go inside our mind soonest or later we meet our Unconssious self. We meet our fears and anxiousity and gets depressed because we dont know how to handle our emotions and thoughts. But if we learn to control our thoughts and emotions then we can relax and go beyond our mind stuff. Then we reach a deep silence. In deep meditation. I am more afraid of material world than isolation.
This isn't about some
This isn't about some individualist desire to retreat from the world. This is about people who are suffering from lack of human contact for so long that they are suffering psychically for interaction and acceptance. You won't last very long in that forrest without basic needs and technology and safety
There are people whose families won't speak to them for year and even decades at time. That is why many people in old age homes suffer from severe anxiety due to ack of love and reassurance from family members that either aren't around or have passed away. Friends help fill the gap but they cannot replace family
There is a difference between
There is a difference between wanted and unwanted isolation. You chose to walk in the forest and be alone the prisoners did not willingly isolate themselves
When you don't have the
When you don't have the option of walking out of your "home", it's a whole other definition of isolation.. One I don't think many understand and those many are very lucky..
Solo sailor
Most days I don't talk with anyone . I'm anchored out , can't afford marina/ dockage . It was supposed to be my retirement in the Caribbean . I retired from a job I liked , working at a maritime museum about a year ago . Sailed south . Had passages as long as two weeks offshore out of sight of land solo . Time in the western Caribbean was nice , but lonely . I had a difficult , lonely trip back to New England this summer . The tenants moved out of my house in Maine . I've been trying to sell it but apparently it has gone downhill , needs work I can't afford and is costing me money now , that I don't really have . I'm still in southern New England and it's starting to get chilly , soon it will be downright cold on the boat . If my house doesn't sell I will need to hire someone to drain the pipes . The trees need to be removed from around the electric wires . There are structural problems that need attention before the winter or the house will be really decrepit by next spring . As a negative cash flow it will jeopardize my ability to to provide for myself on the boat . I need to re register the boat , but even if I register it again in maine the registration expires December 31 . Which means I won't be allowed in Foreign countries after the registration expires . I go for days not going to shore and when I do I am in a strange place where I don't know anyone . No car . No physical address . I am not by nature a loner , I had lots of friends at work , and am normally very social . Now I find myself not talking with anyone for days at a time , spending day after day on the boat alone with ever increasing anxiety about the house , knowing the boat needs work before undertaking the long trip south . Getting more and more depressed , indecisive , isolated , with winter approaching . I have almost zero family . I have a son 25 who grew up with his mom mostly , since he was five . The major thing keeping me from ending my so called life is that I would leave him ( and others ) such a mess to deal with . They'd have to haul my boat out somewhere far from his home in Maine and he'd have to deal with that , the house and trying to piece together the details of my life / finances . I am definitely clinically depressed but I think most people would be in my position . What would you do ? Spend what little money you have on a house that may not sell for months , years ? And then at a fraction of what it should be worth . Find a place to Haul the boat out and do all the maintenance necessary to go south again ? Many dollars more . Try to deal with various paperwork that needs doing , without a physical address or shore connection . Even if I weren't depressed it's a lot to deal with on a micro budget . I know things are getting worse ( colder ) every day , the depression and anxiety more overwhelming and I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel . What would you do ?
Alone.
You are more than welcome to contact me, I'm 24 and I've been isolated going on almost 3 years now.
If you want someone to talk to.
What I would do
"What would you do ?"
Given the circumstances you describe, I'd first make the decision: boat or house. And since my sailing experience hadn't convinced me unequivocally that nomadic single-handing was how I wanted to do out the rest of my life, I'd decide on the house.
But before making that decision, I'd pay a licensed inspector to do a survey -- that is, if I were in any doubt about the foundation or about other potentially fatal structural defects that might make the house not worth repairing. I'd weigh all that against the value of the land sans house. Assuming no fatal structural defect...
I'd sell the boat. Might haul it and pay for storage this winter, might get what I could for it now -- depending on finances and depending on what the spring v. fall market is for sailboats in Maine. Might barter it in exchange for something of use to me. A sailboat can come to feel like an albatross. I'd do what I could to make it work for me as an asset. The internet will connect me to people and opportunities.
Then I'd circle the wagons. Move into my house, tap a home equity loan, buy needed tools and materials, and do enough at least to winterize it. Something to keep me occupied, something to give me a sense of accomplishment.
Frame of mind. Since I'm depressed and since I'm a social person, I'd hook up with someone, preferably a stranger and ideally someone I could interest in the house project, maybe in exchange for an equity interest. With the right other person, things are sure to seem less bleak. And since I'm depressed, I'd continually remind myself that the objectively my situation isn't nearly as desperate as (subjectively) it seems. I'd resign myself to being somewhat dependent on others over the short to medium term. Might do things like attend church, even if I had no interest in religion or things spiritual.
Money. Home equity would probably be my first choice. I'd eek out what I could doing odd jobs in the informal economy - chopping wood, whatever. Almost zero family isn't zero family. But borrowing from them wouldn't be an option for me except under truly extraordinary circumstances.
What does not destroy you makes you stronger, as they say. Best of luck to you.
Isolation
I could write so much about this. 18y old Constant isolation, i've been isolated for 4 years now, i forgot how human touch feels, i forgot how affection feels, seeing people being happy makes me sick, but i don't feel depressed, depression would be nice right now, as this, This is hell on earth. I forgot what i was thinking about, i forgot a lot, but my brain feels smarter, almost like i'm thinking a lot faster now, almost like i rewired my brain, but it doesn't matter, because i never knew a long lasting friendship in my life, i never knew love and never knew any of the things that come with social interaction, i can always perform well enough now that i've started studying again but something feels broken and i cannot interact fully with anyone, i feel like i'm treated as a ghost, i'm here but not quite, people would talk to me and forget about me just as we would finish speaking, everyone would forget my existence which is frail. Everything is going so fast and so slow at the same time, i can't quite describe it.
You are interesting. You
You are interesting. You remind me of myself, how i emote most of the time. My difference from you is that I am not completely isolated. I have a job that requires me to see people, and I talk to my neighbor whom i spend time with sometime so that she may not be without a friend like person. I have family whom I see occasionally, but I know that they do not need to know me as I am. If there is a scale on how isolated a person can be, you may be further on the list. My reactions I assume are as a result of how I was raised. I wasn't isolated or confined to any room, but reactions, words and actions resulting me in thinking as if I had. Whenever I do socialize I simply mimic the person. People like who are most similar to them. I usually group people by their tone of voice and how/what words they use in order for them to feel that they are comfortable with me. This took many years, but you realize most people are similar, its very rare to have that one completely different human who doesn't fit into any social circle. After socializing, I panic and become very nervous. I have learned to let out my shakes and hyperventilating when no one is around, that way I do not cause a stir or concerned faces.
I am able to understand what you are describing (reminds me more of my thoughts while growing up), though it seems that you may be starting to get into depression rather than form around it.
The way you are feeling though, your thoughts of people around you and your personal existence is just the brains way of coping with the situation. Your brain is not getting enough simulation so it is basically picking on you since you're the only person you know.
I am a happy anxious person because I cannot get rid of my anxiety (it seems nearly ingrained due to my ancestors experiences), but I let myself aka brain feed on things it wants to go on with the day.
Usually no interaction causes one to experience in depth thought, perhaps what you are calling "smarter" but it is not physically increasing IQ.
I don't interact online due to not wanting an over concerned or annoying person cross my path (comment, post) and conflict it in things I don't like, whether they are helping or not.
I haven't shared many of my thoughts to anyone, but I have now and there it is.
Not Animials
Humans are not Animals as you claim. Humans are humans and have totally different needs & understanding of life as compared to animals.
Your entire view of life is inaccurate as a result of believing this deception.
Ignorance is No Excuse
Your Ignorance of the Definition of Life is Offensive.
Also Your Assumption To Apparently Read Into The "Mind" Of Other Creatures and or Plants.
I Believe Scientifically That Plants Are Even Considered To Be Living Creatures Due To Their Ability To Perform
The Basic Functions Of "Life" ---1 Response To Outside Stimuli "Sunlight / Music/ Defense Against Insects etc."
2 Acquirement Of Food Stuffs IE Water / Minerals. 3. Reproduction / Propagation
So Open The Mind
Read a book. We aŕe animals!
Read a book. We aŕe animals! And other animsls have many of are same needs.
Animals
Sorry, I would read a book... But animals can't read. :(
The Effects of Isolation and Lonliness on Humans
I know animals and people need the company of others. I feel like I am going crazy. My isolation due to the daily pain I live in is torture to my mind. I am gregarious by nature. Other animals like elephants and dolphins to name only two display head bashing and rage when left alone and get bored. We are animals. Keeping people in maximum security for weeks at a time is so cruel. I can go anywhere I want but the depression is there all the same. I am going outside for a couple of hours alone. Come home and sit and think, I'm alone again. I used to have a life. How can people be so ignorant to treat animals and other people with this kind of cruelty. I think of humans, Homo Sapiens as just conceited apes. I am living in physical pain but the mental pain is overwhelming. Karma is a bitch.
Torture and pain
Im the same way. I have PTSD and Chronic Transformed Daily Migriane. I am stuck in bed in a dark room either screaming my agony or passed out from pain and exhaustion. I cant learn the language of the country I live in. The drs said I am too ill to learn easily so I try and try and have little positive results. I don't often see anyone but my husband and even he had to move out to the guest room in order to sleep because I scream my pain in my sleep. My friends left me. My family left me long ago when I became very ill. They don't write or call unless they want money which I don't have so they will soon stop calling. I live on SSDI and my husbands good graces. I have a cat and we have livestock I can play with if I can get outside. I usually cant. It hurts to walk, sit up, lay down, be in the light, and breathe. I am amazed I have lived 14 years like this getting progressively worse as the years go by. I used to work 80 hours a week and be fit and fairly healthy. My ex husbands decided that repeated head injuries would do me good. They were wrong. The torture I suffered at their hands was worse than what I deal with now but only because they didn't stop with just head injuries and tried breaking my spine, ribs, limbs ect. Why am I still alive?
Effects of Isolation +loneliness on Humans
So, Serendip Visitor, you say your place of living in isolation is largely karmic in nature?
I, am at a place in my life also which is resonate in the words. Karmic isolation is a bitch.
Care to dialogue on the experience?
Affect of long term incarceration on the perception ideal beauty
My wife and I have I recently been talking about how long term incarceation would affect a person's Ideal of beauty as a perceptual reference in judging the physical attractiveness of people during intra-social interaction. Would long term loss of referants; social, physical, perceptual, sexual, and cultural strip away pre-existing internalized ideals of what the norm of beauty is, leaving behind a kind of 'blank slate' upon which an entirely new ideal of beauty would be built up? Is there any 'study' literature on this subject?
Feeling alone again.
I'm a 20 year old female. I've posted here before about my solitary confinement and how I was betrayed by my friends and lovers. But I recovered and found somebody who my soul loves... A 22 year old male, he is in the US Navy, so I'm in AZ and he's in VA. It did t become hard untill recently... I stopped seeing people and I push away the people that care about me because I feel like all I need is him and when we get married ill have what I want. But it's hurting me. I have no friends. The only person I spend time with is my mother and she is very worried about me for being social. I recently bought a new car and at the dealership me and my salesman connected and are still in contact and he makes me feel good. I haven't hung out with him because I don't know if I should or if its wrong. But I think the reason he makes me feel good is because he fills the void that my sailor can't fill because he is not here. I don't know what to do about it. I'm so confused in everything that I do. I'm constantly lost in life. I don't have anyone to turn to for help. I want friends so bad but I'm scared to have friends. Someone give me words of advice/encouragement. Thanks.
Studnets
Can i email you about your experiance as i am very interest x
Seek the TRUTH you will for
Seek the TRUTH you will for sure find peace in life. And plus I promise you that I will inform you of the only one person who will never betray nor leave you alone even if you are in you room alone. And he is the one who let you move you limbs while he made some people paralized as an example for all humanity. He is the one god who will meet you soon after life. please seek the truth you will find peace. I wish every one in the world knew the treasure that I have found. People seek for peace and they think that they will find in wealth, relationships, friends and enjoyment like music but it brings nothing but stress. The only person that I return to is my god. THE ONE GOD WHO HAS NO PARTNER. make him your friend and the person who you return to in calamities. My dear sister don't be sad and seek a path to bring peace in life. My dear prophet muhammad ( peace be upon him ) has advised me to love for others what I love for myself. So I love peace so I wish for you the same and for all mankind. I promise this is the only way to SUCCESS
Hey hun, I know you wrote on
Hey hun, I know you wrote on here like 6 months ago, but...
I am 29 and married, my husband is in the Air Force, and I used to be in the Air Force myself. So I can identify with you being in a different state than your significant other.
As far as pushing the people who care about you away because all you need is your sailor -- I am sure he is a wonderful person, but it is wrong for you to put that kind of a burden on him. One person can be all you need romantically, but you cannot expect one person - or any other person for that matter, to be the end-all be-all that will make you happy. How would you feel, if someone told you that you were all they needed to be happy (might make you feel nice at first), but then cut themselves off from everybody else and obsessed over you? That's a huge responsibility, to have the weight of someone else's happiness all depending on *you*, isn't it? I mean, what if you make a mistake? What if you have a bad day?
There are spaces in our hearts for different types of relationships -- parents, siblings, children, other family, acquaintances, casual friends, close friends, coworkers, and lovers. One person cannot possibly fill them all, and there will be a void left there if any one of those spaces are empty. It is not fair for you to expect your sailor to be all you'll ever need, and to cut yourself off from the other people in those other categories who care about you. It's not fair to your sailor, it's not fair to the people you're cutting off (they don't know what they did wrong that you're dropping off the face of the planet) and it's not fair to yourself either. You are setting him up to *fail you*, because he can't possibly be everything and everyone to you. No one person can. It is an unrealistic expectation to think that he could, so don't put that kind of burden on him, and don't set yourself up to be disappointed. He is a lover to you, and hopefully a friend. But there are lots of spaces for friends in our hearts. And he will never be a parent or sibling or casual friend to you, so don't expect him to fill all those empty spaces.
It's an impossible task to boot, because no one person can make another person truly happy, and your sailor cannot make you truly happy either. He can *help* you be truly happy, and he can *enhance* how happy you are, but he can't *make* you happy. And he is not perfect. He will make mistakes, and do things that upset you sometimes, and you will to him too. Happiness is something you decide to have within yourself; it is not something someone else can give you (although others can *help* you find happiness within yourself, or *temporarily* take it away from you). Happiness is not a destination, it is a way of life. It is not a feeling of constant bright joy or elation or smiley-ville all the time. That is not real life. True happiness is being content and at peace with your life and those around you *in general*. Things may happen in your life that temporarily make you upset or angry or sad or dissatisfied, but overall, deep down -- if you knew you would die tomorrow and could think "I had a pretty good life, and I know I was loved, and the people who I love know I love them, and I am satisfied and know that my soul has grown from this life experience" -- that is happiness.
As far as a void that needs to be filled because he isn't here, if you're worried about cheating on him... Think of how you will feel when he returns. If you think you would not regret being with the car salesman and letting the sailor go his own way when he returns, then cut it off with your sailor and pursue the car salesman. If you think you will regret it if you don't wait for your sailor to return, and if you want to be with him when he gets back, then wait for him. You have to decide what you truly want in your heart, and then have the conviction to decide to make that outcome happen to the best of your ability. No one can do this for you, you must decide what you most want yourself. It is hard to be away from your significant other when they are deployed or on TDY. It is a fact of military life. It is lonely and hard, and sometimes you might have fearing for their life piled on top of it. Know that is what you are in for if you choose to be with this sailor, and accept it, because he will not have a choice in the matter. He will have to do what, and go where, the government tells him to. Regardless of how you or your future children or anybody else feels about it. It is a tough reality, and that is how it is. It is up to you to decide whether you think your relationship with him is worth that. No one else can tell you that, you must decide it for yourself, and then stay faithful to your own decision.
You say that you are scared to have friends - why do you feel that way? It is important for you to think about this, because it will be a lot easier for you to overcome your problem if you know where it is coming from. Are you afraid people will reject you? Are you afraid you'll be back-stabbed again? Why are you afraid to make friends? Just because some people may have turned out to be jerks or untrustworthy doesn't mean everyone is like that. Think of what your ideal friend would be like, and then think of where you might find somebody like that. Seriously, get out a piece of paper, and draw a line down the middle. On the right side, write all the things your perfect friend would be like. Then circle the 15 things on that list that are the most important - because no one person is going to be able to be everything you need. Then, when you're finished with the right side, on the left side, write all the things that you *don't* want in a friend. Then circle the 15 things most important for you to avoid on that list - because nobody's perfect. Then you'll know what you want and what you're looking for, and it's a lot easier to find what you're looking for when you consciously know what it is! :)
Then, think of where you might be likely to find someone with the good traits your "perfect" friend would have. For example -- If your perfect friend would be able to identify with your loneliness when your sailor is gone, try making friends with other military spouses. If your perfect friend loves reading, try making friends with people you meet at the library or book store, etc. It's a lot easier to make friends when you have common ground to start from, so think of what *you* like and then think of where you go to do or get those things you like to do or get. Then you're 10 times more likely to start with common ground with anybody you meet there.
Likewise, for example, if you *don't* want your friend to have a drinking problem or be too focused on partying, then *don't* look for friends at bars and night clubs. If you don't want a friend who's too religious, *don't* look at church. Etc. Look for friends in places that match what you want, and avoid looking for lasting friendships in places where people you don't want to be around might like to hang out. It might take a little longer to find somebody who'll stay in contact with you by looking in logical places, but it is more likely to create a real and lasting friendship if you start out knowing at least one thing about this person is already what you want - if you start with at least one factor on common ground. This doesn't mean you should avoid greeting people and interacting with people who you meet randomly (like in line for a coffee or other random places), it's just a suggestion for when you are consciously thinking about looking for places to try to meet people.
And don't let yourself feel too awkward or nervous. You'd be surprised how often other people are willing to take a few minutes out of their day to talk to you if you start out your greeting with a smile and a compliment - even to a random person. Asking them something about themselves can get a conversation going -- for example if you see someone at the gym who doesn't have headphones in their ears, you could smile and ask how long they've worked out there, then what their fitness goals are, tell them your fitness goals and ask if they have any pointers, and if you've made it that far with good responses, it's easy to ask if they mind being a fitness pal with you and you could encourage each other to do better and stay on track. Then voila, you've got a reason to talk to them again in the future and get their contact information. (Just an example.) A conversation, about almost anything really, is all you need to get things started.
Don't take it personally if someone doesn't want to talk to you -- you don't know how that person's day or life is going right now, and you don't know why they might not want to talk to you. Maybe they're having a bad day and need to be left alone for a little while. Maybe they're sick. Maybe they're surrounded by noise and crowds all day and want some quiet alone time. Maybe they are introverted themselves and are freaked out that somebody wants to randomly talk to them. You don't know what's going on in their life, so don't take it personally. Just accept it and move on. Eventually you will find people who are also ready and wanting to make friends, and they will talk to you. And practice makes perfect.
I hope you can feel grounded in your life and find contentedness and peace. I hope you can think about what you truly want from your life - what's *really* important to you, so that when you see what will make you happy, you can recognize it and not let it pass you by. :) Take care.
Same here
I am exactly the same. I shut out new people, because I feel like they won't like me or I won't know what to say to them. Being alone for so long has made me afraid of people, or getting close to anyone.
Don't be alone.
Write me, I am lonely too.
Drifting Away
This was a good article. I was curious as to the furthest extremes isolation could take you. Obviously it won't go that far with the freedoms we do have but I do still wonder how far it actually will drive us as people. I've always been an isolated person, the outcast so to speak, I might of had a friend or two here and there growing up but then as a teenager I totally cut everyone off, discovered text based role playing online and have done it for nearly ten years. I stopped this year and have gone nearly a year without it and it's been hell for me. For one I was diagnosed with AvPD (Avoidant Personality Disorder) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, toss in severe depression and bipolar and you got a pretty nice mix of mental disorders already set in and as a result make it pretty impossible to socialize as it is and to top that off as I've discovered over this past year is that aside from the agonizing loneliness that will hurt me into numbness a majority of the time I feel like I'm going through an identity crisis just because of my past because I never formed an identity because I did the text role play so obsessively that I spent more time making characters than discovering my own self and doing different things to define me and so I utterly feel like a blank canvas. I don't know what to do but to be isolated, I don't know what to do with myself otherwise.
No point. Last hour's input gone. N2 gas cylinder needed.
Previous input totally absent despite correctly "proving" I'm human not computer.
isolation
As a child I learned that isolation seemed to protect me from my mother. Then as a teenager I used drug which gave me the same feeling of isolation while being around people. When I was 18 I was sent to jail for the first time. The first 2 weeks I was isolated, later I found out that was to get me to talk with out a lawyer. However,I felt comfortable in isolation for the 2 weeks. At the age of 19 I was incarcerated for 4.5 years. During the 4.5 years I was in isolation for a total of about 6 months. Something had changed about being isolated I began to feel many of the thing the paper talked about. I have spent much of my life (I am now 54) in various forms of isolation mostly self imposed or because of my circumstances. For a number of years my job and caring for my son left me feeling isolated. I was restricted to work, travel to and from work and caring for my son. Don't get me wrong it was my choice to care for him and I would do it again, however I see the effects this has had on me and his life also. My main coping skill seems to be isolation, which lead to more difficulties dealing with others and life in general. I work at not being isolated, but as I said it is my way of coping. Today I have been general isolated for 9 months because of an auto accident that has left me unable to walk. I am concerned about my over all health but do not know what to do to get more social interactions. I mean I can not even go out due to the pain. I don't have an answer, I had hoped I would think of something by writing this out. But it appears the need to have someone physical present, talking is an important part of problem solving for me.
Also my son, who was an only child seem to have the same tendencies. He lives alone and does not talk to me or any of his uncles or aunts. It would be easy to say it's inherited which in part I would agree with. However, I think the tendency is trained because of my relationship to isolation and how I lived in general isolation while raising him.
If the post/blog/paper interested you at all you might want to look up early american prison or Quaker prisons. They completely failed because of the effect on the mind/body/spirit isolation has.
Physically disabled, living alone > 14 years
50 year old male, living alone in ~ 220 sq. foot bedroom w 3/4 bath. On SSDI & other LTD benefits, which were recently terminated due to apparently not utililzing cane sufficently enough for ambulation. The $633 per month benefit that enabled me to meet financial obligations is gone due to 4 days of insurance carrier surveillance that coincided with Functional Capacity Evaluation ordered by same. 150 seconds of observation over 96 hours revealed I was able to negotiate two steps from front stoop & enter vehicle to travel 4 miles to FCE location. Have been on very high dose opioid analgesics for entire time. Recent "pain mgmt paradigm change" has reduced regimen 53.3% since July 10, cursor will not work with my phone for this appCrave painless termination of life functions Phone won't even let me communicate via this method. Nitrogen asphyxiation Partially responsible for nearly successful suicide attempt of woman quite fond of, though she lives > 300 miles away. Guilt unbearable. Noting recent insomnia/hypersomnia, short & long term cognitive memory deficits, anorexia, inappropriate emotional affect relative to TV stimuli. Feel like computer with crashing harddrive This isn't working All input out of order due to Nitrogen asphyxiation best option. Have lost 9 lbs in last week. Guilt, guilt Teerminating further input as it's taken me > 1 hour to enter this scrambled text. No point in continuing to have my sentences entered out of orderNo point. No point. Terminate input. If this forum won't work with 4G Androids, should state that before I wasted all this time. Realize post makes no sense if cursor keeps randomly jumping to different locations while inputting with stylus.
. Now pain back with vengenance & no longer find isolation tolerable. Emotionally .labile & am constantly thinking of nitrogen asphyxiation
2012 - 20% in last week. Have amassed 1500+ volume reference library that enabled enaboccupied my time - 99.8% non-fiction. Also have frequent kidney stone renal colic. It took 2 M.D.s 7 years to find pharmaceutical combo/dosing that enabled
Maybe I'm normal, Maybe I'm not
I'm a female, 17, with Autism. Going to graduate HS in May. Used to be social since I was a child. I've been isolating myself in my room since I was 14. I've been doing this for three (it'll be four in a few months or so) years. Parents have shown concern, wanting me to get out of my room, be social, spend time with time, etc. yet I am content with being in my room and not speaking to a single person. Parents show concern, telling me that not socializing will affect me, cause me to become less social, etc. However, I can't think of one person BESIDES my family who wants to socialize with me.
Other than that, I've been considering isolation since I was 16. People tell me I'm being selfish for wanting to isolate myself from society and the world, but look at them: they pressure everyone to get married, have kids, and so on. So who's being the selfish one here? That's what I thought. I'd rather lock myself up and be in my OWN little world where I don't have to deal with ANYONE than deal with everyone's BS. Alone is where the heart is IMO.
Also, I call BS on the whole "isolation can make one crazy". I barely socialize and I'm perfectly sane. Like it'll ever affect me.
I get the isolation...but the system is very strong
You there, 17 y/o...glad to see you can see the system so early. I didn't see it for what it was until my late twenties.
You need to fight against it tho, not hide away. The rest of us need your help to to say "fuck you, this is not my ideal world, and i'm not going to buy what you think you need to slam down my throat!".
The thing is, is that you have to connect to people to make them understand...we're all born into it.
Your not going to help the rest of us or yourself, by remaining in your room.
Take care either way tho,
Colin
considering doing this...
I'm considering isolating myself from the people who love me and need me. I'm only 17, about to graduate HS in May, and I've had it up to here with everyone's drama. I would do anything to get away from them and be in social isolation. Besides, I'm more content being alone than being with people.
Talking?
I'm 18.I'm in college and living in isolation too, today(nov.22.12) my longest conversation with somebody was just a minute or two. I think I'm going crazy sometimes. and I'm afraid if this isolation would result to regression 'cause I have suicidal tendencies. I've just overcome masochism last year and I just don't know what to do. I'm religious now but that's not enough, I know I need a real person to talk to and not just reading the bible everyday. Im human too and I know that.
taiking
i dont know how to say this but someone once told me that when your sad, or when you have negative thoughts, just put this idea on your head, there is somebody out there to whom your presence brings joy and hapiness in their life, and also making a flowing converstion with people is quite hard at times, i remember i too had that problem sometimes back, but lets say taking it step by step helped, speaking to guys and friends we share the same intrests especially school stuff, music and the latest films ( coz they are general topics of discussion) helped me out alot, try it out, i came to learn that there is always someone intrested in talking to me but him/ her also has the same fears as i did, so try it out, even if its for a minute today, let tomorrow be two and before you know it you might be talking with ease even before strangers ok
Great Article
I found your study to be very interesting and definitely makes a lot of sense. Seems as though we should maybe focus on helping people in prison to be rehabilitated rather than ultimately making them a less stable human being. The side effects of isolation you mentioned definitely ring true to me - I've noticed if I ever spend long periods of time traveling by myself (driving, in a hotel room, etc) it takes a while for me to get back to feeling "myself" once I go back out into the public again. I've been searching around online to better understand all of this and also found that this other article gave me some clarity as well, take a look:
The hole
First long term hole time-584 days; three showers a week; no outside; no sun; lights in 23 hours a day; 8' x 4.5 feet; screaming and high intensity race justification.
Second long term time in the hole-24 months, three weeks, one day; all the same conditions except I beat the hell out of a piece of garbage black cook screaming "white boy" and "punk ass" at me. In the joint you must respond swiftly and violently or you will be a punk, seen as week, and victimized. I was strapped to a lowered black plastic chair, shot up with halidol and thorazine cocktails over and over for that hole time because I would lose my mind, be aggressive with staff, have SORT members rush me, pepper me, beat me (although I got at least one most of the time).
I did seven day stints here and there, a few thirty day stints, and 72-hour investigation stints.
I am permanently screwed up, rage inside, trust no one, emotionally punish any one who loves me, loss of sleep, wear ear plugs to block out the world, lost 11 jobs (have one now), and suffer every day of my life from the seven years, ten months I spent in Leavenworth.
This is just a small truth to the effects of prison, solitary confinement, and social status post-confinement. I was convicted of assault and maiming as a Marine; combat decorated, and thrown away with out rehab, vocational training, or any help at all. God Bless the Department of Defense. Beware when signing that dotted line.
Reply to 'The Hole" please have faith that there are people
in the world that understand your torment. Although you may have been deemed guilty of a crime, that is in the past, I hope. I have worked with children from 10 yrs old to 19 whom were 'locked up' as children. I was also a victim of a mother whom locked me up at the tender age of 5 in the attic, throughout my life a small room in the basement, under the house behind a locked door at 14 and I finally left home at 19. I have never been in trouble with the law (not judging your or anyone else). I was an observer of life. As my brothers were broken down to tears, I was logically watching the drama before me, and was hated by my mother for not being broken down by her. We did not know there was any help out there as we were NEVER allowed to have friends. If sick, we preferred to go to school, but Mom would phone the Principal, lie to get us home and put us to work. But through all this and being abused emotionally, physically and sexually by step-father - real father was too busy chasing women, saw him 2 weeks a year at the lake, but again he would feed us and leave to mess with the married woman across the lake. What I learned from all these dysfunctional family members was HOW if FELT and to NEVER do this to ANYONE. During my life I have been down and out 3 times (life is like that sometimes). What I learned is once you are at bottom - the only way is UP. :) Now back to the present - I take in one abused child at a time. Usually it takes anywhere from 11 months to 1.5 yrs of tantrums, being spit on, fingered, threatened, hit, kicked and screaming, slamming doors, almost to the point of being evicted from the behaviours of my clients. When my client acts this way, I do not react, no facial expressions, no moving my body unless it is a safety matter - just move away, but ensure the client is safe. The client is only acting this way because BEHAVIOUR IS COMMUNICATION. Walk away. Behaviour does not happen in a void. There needs to be an audience. Keep repeating this. Then debrief when the client has calmed down according to their cognitive ability (I also work with non-verbal clients with the mentality of a 2 yr old, but still get results via teaching cause and effect). Once the client starts to realize that their acting out is not getting the results they want, they eventually stop the inappropriate behaviours. The difficult part is to be PATIENT. Do not take any threats, swearing, fingering, etc personally. The client before you acting out is unable to express their anger, frustration, helpless feelings of not being in control - from extended periods of being locked up - which is a form of emotional/physical abuse. Many times these clients have episodes of hallucinations, which can be alleviated by medication and/or debriefing sessions discussing the logic of such sightings (seeing things not real). To the writer of "The Hole" please remember, that there are people out there that will judge you by 'Living in the Now.' Try to put all your past experiences behind you. Learn what not to do from those experiences and RE-INVENT yourself today. YOU are the MASTER of how your day turns out. Cull some of your negative relationships and replace them with people whom are genuinely interested in what is in YOUR BEST INTEREST. Go volunteer somewhere to see that there is ALWAYS another that has a worse situation than self. It will help to take your mind off your own issues and you will be socializing and HELPING another human. Be kind for you may not pass this way again. A heart-felt, warm embrace of cheer to you. Be at peace and may your life improve until you feel VALUED! But feeling VALUED starts with YOU. Cheers!
Have Faith There Are People
I found such hope and love in your response! Thank you so much for taking the time to tell your story...I am going to print your response and keep it in my pocket. Thank you, my dear, for the hope you have give me.