Lonely Madness: The Effects of Solitary Confinement and Social Isolation on Mental and Emotional Health

For me I spent years, actually the best part of two decades slowly going more and more crazy from various experiences, failures, drug taking and the occasional beating.
I was a friendly person in my teens, I had some close friends who have all gone long ago, and sometimes I still find myself missing them a lot.
I was not widely popular with people which was fine by me, as I was a bit introverted and incredibly self conscious of myself in every possible.

Funnily enough I was the opposite as a kid, very extroverted in some ways and very loud and annoying, and not shy at all.

But as I went through pubescence something else changed in me, a gradual dawning that I was not like every one else, that there were few other people much like me, that the non acceptance of me by most people was going to be a permanent state of reality, not something that would change for the better.

Although I am of above average intelligence, because of my poor social skills, most people including my own family think I'm a complete fool, loser, stupid, weird, not good at anything, useless.

However I dont really agree with Societys or my familys assesment of me, I have done alot of wrong things in my life, some of which I have blanked out as it was driving me too far into depression.
I learnt how to do this about ten years ago, when things were at there blackest.

I have also done some good things in my life too, I dont think Im a terrible person, just a sad lonley one that cant make the jump now to communicate properly with other people.
I can now again talk politely to them, and any rejection is shrugged off mostly easily.
I dont bear people any bad will now for the things they have done to me in the past, but I do reject my family now, as there seems to be no real friendship there, and if something isnt there, its not real, so dont try to make it into something its not.
I prefer to keep it real with them now, because I don't have much other choice.

You cant create love out of nothing at all, despite what air supply say.
I'm now happy to keep to myself, but I know its good and healthy for you to keep up a friendly front for the public, its in the loners best interest to appear as normal as possible, to keep away from other people but not to to anything strange either, just do what the other humans do.

I no longer trust the mental health department in NSW, from my experiences with it, its basically just an uncaring industry, more interested in the merits of what socialism can gain for them, in not having to do the least amount of hard work, to not be in any danger despite their job, to go to endless meetings about ways to improve the mental health system of NS, but not actually do anything, its talk, talk, nod head alot at each other wisely etc lets now go have a coffee and a smoke.

Also one that fronts for the large pharmaceutical company's, and not much else.
Some positive stuff has come out of it lately for the homeless of inner Sydney, but you have to be very lucky to get such help.

I'm now happy being in solitude, five years ago I completely broke away from my loneliness, the hurt is now mostly gone, I can deal with rejection easily, because I simply do not care much anymore about getting rejected.
I am happy doing yoga at my gym, the occasional weights session, nothing too crazy, and 2 5 km runs through the city's parks twice a week.

I plan to go in the city to surf 14 km run later this year, something I have wanted to do for nearly 20 years, and this year I am doing it, it matters not how long it takes me, or how many people beat me, just as long as I do it.

I have also always been a fairly decent drawer, I have failed at a lot of things in life, at least I can count continued failure as some kind of success I guess, but my drawing skill is the one thing I still have from when I was a kid, that is now with a lot of practice in the last few years finally starting to kick off.

After an absence of about 15 years, I started drawing again ten tears ago when I was 30, and with continued attempts I finally stoked it back into life about three years ago, and now I am drawing every day again, like when I was a kid.
I usually draw just peoples faces, and I am going to classes sometimes to learn more technique, how to use materials etc life drawing classes especially are good.

I busk a bout twice a week at Chinatown usually at night drawing people for money, this can be sometimes be a bit hard for me as they usually want a portrait and the close human contact can be a bit overwhelming at times, but I am getting slowly better at handling it.

So I am happy now being a loner, having solitude etc if Im not meant to be with anyone then so be it, just enjoy what life gives you, I am not in a jail, I am not in a war, I am not a cripple.

I am healthy, I don't smoke, quit cold turkey 8 years ago, I don't play pokies, quit them for good 6 years ago, I don't drink alcohol, quit that 3 years ago, I don't smoke pot or do any other recreational drugs, quit that also 3 years ago.

I now focus on my art, my health, following my sports teams, going to cafes to read the news, and chatting to people on the net, this is good enough for me, I don't need much else, and despite being surrounded by millions of people in this city, I am completely alone.

I found the article really entlightening and useful.
My demographic is "divorced" dad. My kids are with me some of the time and rest of the time I'm alone.
My disposal income after tax, child support and rent is really small. I have enough petrol to get to work atm and thats about it.
My immediate family members reside a long way away. For whatever reason I have less friends I can call on now than in the past.
Anyway, long story short .... at night times, I feel incredibly alone and isolated. I will go for days and the only ppl that occasionally call are telemarketers.
I have found the internet can be a window to the world, it led me to this article. Thankyou. The points raised therein, about the brain generating spurious thought processes in the absence of external ones really rang true.
In other words, unless you work at it, it has the potential to send you mad. Anyway thankyou for the article, it is useful and interesting.

In February of 2004 I was working for a large multi-national corporation. It was a wonderful opporunity to "travel the world without ever leaving" because this company embraced diversity and celebrated the differences. I had the opportunity to work with, and get to know people of all ages and all educational levels from all over the world. I had the whole planet in front of me, and it was a wonderful experience. My best friend was from Iran, my girlfriend was from India, my boss was a female rednecked bitch hillbilly from Kentucky, my major nemasis was a Vietnamese refugee/war veteran with a pathological chip on his shoulder, my minor nemasis who had a Napolean Complex was the son of a Mexican illegal immigrant, my secret desire was for a beautiful raven haired goddess from Central America. I worked there for over a decade, and here is THE RUB!!...I finally understood that I really could not stand to be around any of them anymore!! So I quit in February of 2004. Ever since then until this current day, I have been living in Self-Imposed Solitary Confinement...for almost six years. I have no family, no friends, no wife, no girlfriend, no children, no pets, no plants, and I have convinced my neighbors to stay away from me. My isolation is total and complete...and everlasting.

What I learned from that last job, just validated my personal philosophy and spiritual beliefs. I had the whole world at my doorstep to interact with, and it just verified what I had suspected, for so long... that the human race and its silly DRAMA...is just too sad to deal with. Every human, from every corner of the earth, because they are Human...they are tied up with the Biblical Struggle...the Drama. All of them!!?? How sad. The Human Drama is always...a Tragedy!!

My beliefs are eclectic; I have studied all the general "beliefs", and have developed my own combination that is mostly...Daoism / The Tao. I am finally a happy hermit. My house is in a typical suburban neighborhood. But in my mind, my home is nothing less than a true Sanctuary from all the madness that goes on outside my door. In my mind...my home is like a cave high up on a mountain side. I leave once a week to go to the grocery store, and that one trip might or might not involve a short sentence or two of conversation with the cashier. That has been the extent of my human interaction, for the past six years, and that's the truth.

I cant say I am really "happy". I would not want to. I would not say I am sad. I am balanced now...between the two. My meditations have cleansed me from the maddening throng outside, and from their sad human drama, that sends them on that rollercoaster of ups and downs.

Unfortunately...I am almost out of my savings now. And I am going to have to go back into the world again soon to replenish my money. This is not something I look forward to. But...I am so much more prepared now to deal with all the sad insanity out there...now!! I have found my balance. And I know my purpose...simply to get enough money so that I can come back to my quiet peaceful cave, back to my self-imposed isolation and hermitage.

Isolation is not always a bad thing, especially for those, like me, who have come to the widsom that the World is nothing more than a crazy daily confrontation. Humans are perhaps the worst animals of God's Creation. I truly do not believe that we were made in his image. I have too much love and respect for our God, to believe this.

Peace...I pray, for all of us

A short background on my Isolation

I enjoyed my early retirement at fifty and the standard white picket fence routine. The only daughter had moved out and the wife and I decided it was time to find that "last" home for the golden years. After moving from California to a forty acre ranch near Pyramid lake and the Paiute Indian reservation in Nevada, I had no idea of the unknown changes that would soon take place.

The brutal northern Nevada winters and the shear cabin fever boredom went on for a few years. One Monday morning after a few cups of coffee, "Enough" she said, Nevada had chased my dearly loved wife of thirty two years back to California for good. The crippling and devastating divorce stipulated that I could occupy the property for eight years or until both dogs died, whichever came first. No more dreams of the future, a major life event indeed had occurred.

All I now possessed was a small pension that paid the mortgage payment and a one man software company that paid the other bills. Because of our complacency we had no new or close friends. With no family, two close companion dogs, and a forty acre chuck of earth on the side of a mountain, what was a 55 year old single male going to do?

Well my reader friends, I'm here to tell you it worked out in ways that I could have never imagined. It was not an easy morphing process to work through and never should be attempted by choice. It's still a 36 mile drive to buy quart of milk and after 1,135 days and nights absolutely alone I'm nothing but smiles from ear to ear.

Extreme Isolation, your changed mental properties

Living on the edge of sanity!
You are no longer stabilized by the solid social external anchors. There are no more checks and balances that harness or validate your existence and personal foundation.

You often experience feelings that you might spin out of control into a possible state of complete loss of all realities, leaving you in an unknown state (a place you have no experience with). You fear the possibility of complete loss of all known self controls that stabilize you, perhaps leaving you as an uncontrollable blubbering blob of existence.

Mental strength and stamina!
I experience extreme emotional high and low swings. One learns and understands the self cycles. When and why they occur and how to deal and manipulate them for your benefit.

Avoiding the self torture!
It is easy to slip into the doom and gloom state of mind, and spin downward. But you develop routines that prevent your darker side becoming the commander. Constantly gauging your stability you become aware of the complacency triggers and watch for them. Fourteen days straight of no outside contact or communication is the longest I've experienced, but knew exactly how to reel myself back to my safety zone.

Strong Empathy!
The ability to feel and experience the simple emotions of most other living things including people, flora and fauna.

Telepathy and speech understanding without words!
Communication with living things, or to understand messages without speech.
Easily reading someone else thoughts and emotions.

Extremely exhilarating emotions!
Very strong emotional feelings from laugh-crys (happy crying), the shear joy of your simplicity. Ultimate major self satisfaction for personal achievements.

A relaxed attitude!
You still posses anger, anxieties and frustrations and the other emotional drama results. But they no longer cause you to be reactive. The absence of social stimuli and cultural chatter leaves you nothing to get excited about. There is no longer a need to multitask or "do it all now". In my case, often complete loss of date and time are the norm. I used no calendars for the fist few years, as the day of week was no longer important. A wrist watch did help with daily chore scheduling

Strong reliance on self!
When you no longer require anyone else, your world is a wonderful place to be. You become capable of doing just about anything within your own limits. Using your own diligence and curiosities as a motivating driver you become capable of doing things you never thought possible. You'll reset your goals higher as you develop an intolerance towards your self inadequacies. You learn to cope with your short comings and truly understand your own strengths and weaknesses, and live by them.

Lots of time in one's own head!
Ah yes, this benefit is included free of charge and goes with the territory. You have no choice but to spend much time in self thought. Constantly analyzing, validating, wondering, approving and dis-approving everything around you on a daily basis. Often you grow tired of this auto start brain processing feature, but your brain must stay busy. Unfortunately this mental chore usually can not be turned off.

Uncontrollable deep self discussions are the norm. I very often have internal dialect between three members of me. The creative person (Pro), the logic(Con) and a referee/coach that prevents decision stalemates. Question are usually silently asked of one or the another while the response answers are verbally spoken out loud. I am not sure why only the responses are spoken out loud.

Visions, real or not?
Some visions will become questionable as to their validity. This occurs randomly and is normal and often pleasantly entertaining and rewarding. Because the vision's contents may or may not actually exist, the vision is not processed nor important. You understand that your brain my be just working overtime in response to idle activity, fatigue or a number of other catalysts. Because of my location on the high desert and surrounding mountains I often see altered landscapes, local wildlife and objects in my immediate environment that do not actually exist, but accept these sightings without reservation.

Simple diets become the norm!
Your diet changes change over time to necessities and which foods are necessary becomes obvious.Weight loss and eating habits automatically become stable using only the nutrients you require. You learn exactly how your body reacts to various foods intakes. You understand what sugars, fats and desired harmful foods do to you, usually avoiding them. A treat now and then is often "my reward" for an accomplishment.

Increased "listening" to you own body's health!
The body tells you of it's well being, if you listen. The little aches and pains, a cold or flu all become very apparent when life becomes simple. You learn to react accordingly when necessary. You also learn of the precautions to take to insure positive physical health.

Sensitivities (all physical senses)!
You also hear and see much more of the universe surrounding you. Because of your new simplicity, the unnoticeable become clear. You can now easily see what was environmentally hidden before. The deafening silence now reveals much more than ever heard before. Your sense of smell increases dramatically. The simple whiffs of spring flowers become overwhelming waves of absolute olfactory excitement.

Deep understanding of what's important and what's not important.
This basic fundamental concept is an essential growth tool. It takes some learning and training in the beginning to re-program yourself, but becomes one of the greatest decision assets you will ever need.

We spend much of our life chasing what we believe to be important. In our cultural cluster we've been trained to follow the leader and do as our piers. You have learned to attain the social success as defined by the cluster, for the benefit of the cluster. These socially accepted "goals for fruitful life" have nothing whatsoever to do with the inner you, they are of little use in isolation. You will set new achievable goals that remain fluid and changeable.

Auto-Dump the useless emotions!
Fear, greed, lust, sympathy and other negative emotions have no use in isolation. They require another living being to be emotionally processed. Whereas love, empathy, respect, honesty and other positive emotions generated within self can be used by you, on you. In true self isolation you can not lie to yourself, lust for yourself or sympathize with yourself - it simply does not work.

Loss of self fears!
You lose most socially learned properganda fears, fear of death and after life, the boogie man etc.. You learn that self generated fear exists only between your own two ears, nowhere else. For the most part, fear is one of the useless emotions. Based on what is now important to you, fear has very few uses. It can produce a few beneficial precautions and useful preventative measures.

Understanding death, you are prepared to leave this planet on a daily bases, if needed. Life after death means nothing now, leaving little or no concern about the after life, you'll deal with it when needed. Relying on a better life after death is another useless belief.

I was raised as a Lutheran, but no longer believe. Using a blind faith guide for life is nothing more than grownup wishful thinking. You now deal with each and every facet of your existence, turning over your unresolved life issues to an imaginary faith based "God" is not needed nor does not work.

A deeper understanding!
A clear view of your immediate environment, the universe and how it all works together. Your brain is a processor that remains "on" even when sleeping. This is an automatic process as are the results. Mostly fueled by curiosity the brain works to understand everything in your secluded environment. Constantly reanalyzing the pieces of an isolated life's puzzle, perhaps trying to solve the mystery of life, who knows. Over time, all the pieces will make sense, the puzzle will be completed and you will come to the proper conclusion as to why you exist.

A few of the Isolation negative pitfalls.
You will frequently question your own validity and existence at a very deep level.
No one with whom you can confide.
No other being to share joy and sorrow life experiences with.
No confidants or sounding board support.
Extreme loneliness that will trigger self desirability issues.
Your lack of sympathy for most everything.

SBS
November 3rd 2008
Much more can be written and whether you agree or not with this writing is not important.

I find it humorous that a Bryn Mawr student wrote a paper about the effects of solitary confinement while I, once a Bryn Mawr student, lived the effects of solitary confinement. What does she know if anything about how solitary confinement affects the mind? She thinks because she reads a few reports and because she spends the weekend alone that she could possibly understand. Remember I know where she is coming from: Bryn Mawr, where everyone thinks they are so socially concious and understanding. Well understand this, her paper doesn't even touch the "lonely madness" that exists in solitary confinement, because she seems to think that being locked in the cell is the worst part, it's not, it's all the bonuses that come with it that drive you mad.

I am living in near total isolation and I cannot get help!!! I have spent this entire weekend alone. No one, not one goddam person should have to face demons alone, day after day, year after year.

I still strongly believe the psychology professions ONLY REAL GOAL is profit. Theres a gap between psychology and online dating and online dating is destroying us and we're LETTING IT. People don't meet face to face any longer and women rule supreme in dating. If a women decided collectively never to meet a certain person face to face, not give him or her a chance- that person would literally die alone. That is almost what is happening.

I FERVENTLY believe on line dating services should be banned, made illegal and that there should be free community services in EACH community geared SPECIFICALLY toward helping people meet and find mates. Capitalism, in my opinion, destroys nearly everything it touches. The philosophy is that nothing is worth doing that doesn't make a profit and since it would be unprofitable to conduct matching/ pairing- psychology won't touch it and I quote:

> "The Greater Good and the Greater Profit are not compatible aims" -- Yann Martel.

I will succeed at suicide. Eventually. I simply have lost hope and I feel dead inside.

In commenting ,
on the psychological effects of individuals being in an isolated social or natural environment , it is difficult to fully determine the true effects.Reason being every individual adapts differently to different environments physically , mentally, and spiritually.Its interesting to note how animals born in captivity cope better with being in a zoo, to that of animals trapped in the wild. Mans and womens perceptions of ourselves and others can never fully be understood.The reason I feel is due to humanity being deprived of why we are all really here. People are already lost and isolated in their minds , even though they attempt to co-exist with each other in a ostensible manner.The majority of your article focused on the negetives of isoation. In order to keep my sanity I feel it is important to protect myself from a greedy ,self absorbed society driven by majority groups whom control minority groups.