It’s an indicator of delayed or altered childhood development. It has links to mortality, sickness or illnesses in a particular segment of the population. It has been shown to increase the growth of cancer in mice. And a simple change of perspective can make a world of difference to those people caught up in the cycle – isolation and mental illness.
If a child is observed not interacting with classmates, huddling in a corner away from everyone, it is often recommended that the child be evaluated for some form of mental illness or disorder. The segments of the population most prone to social isolation are those with mental illnesses and older women. A 2007 study conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine has shown that socially isolated people experience 50 percent less production of a brain hormone responsible for reducing reactions to stress, resulting in anxiety and aggression. A 2009 study by the University of Chicago observed an isolated group of mice with breast cancer and another group of mice that were kept together and found that the isolated mice developed larger breast cancer tumors, as well as a disrupted stress hormone response. This particular study was conducted to investigate “how the environment affects human susceptibility to other chronic diseases such as central obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, etc” (Suzanne D. Conzen, MD) (www.allacademic.com).
For decades people have – perhaps without realizing it – known that removing people from the ability or opportunity for social interaction would be viewed and processed by the body as an act of punishment, hence solitary confinement in prisons and the ultimate purpose behind time out, or the more old fashioned name of “standing in the corner.”
What is Social Isolation?
Being connected with people promotes health-enhancing behaviors, increases a person’s sense of control and self-esteem, increases immune function, and reduces cardiovascular and neuroendocrine damage related to exposure to stress. “Social connectedness protects against late-life depressions, and…is also protective of physical and mental health, reducing susceptibility to the common cold, risk of mortality, and depressive symptomology” (www.allacademic.com).
Basically, there are two kinds of isolation: objective and subjective. Objective isolation is where a person does not participate in social activities or engage with people outside the home. Subjective social isolation is the perceived lack of social support, the feeling of loneliness, being separated from family and friends, and lack of emotional closeness or intimacy with key family figures (parents, spouses). “Research indicates that loneliness is an important predictor of physical and mental health…and its effects impact a wide variety of biological systems and physiological responses, such as cardiovascular reactivity, cortisol levels, and even sleep patterns” (www.allacademic.com).
But even though these two forms of isolation are different by definition, in real life they often overlap.
Isolation and Mental Health
Both forms of social isolation can affect mental health in a normally mentally healthy person, but also particularly for those who already suffer from a mental illness. “People who have mental health issues often experience increased isolation and loneliness following the diagnosis of their illness” (www.capitalhealth.ca) but often because of the stigma people around them place on the illness and the tendency to automatically exclude them from social interaction or ignore them. Social isolation cannot only increase anxiety and aggression for these people, but also physical health conditions, engaging them in a cycle that’s often hard to break. With one in five Canadians likely to suffer from some form of mental illness (and similar statistics can be assumed for the United States), that is a lot of people who could benefit from a society that understands and learns to make and keep them as part of their social network and activities.
Alberta Health Services (Canada) offers these five ways to avoid stigmatizing and isolating those with mental illness.
1) Be careful not to use labels. Labels such as “looney,” “nuts,” or “psycho” will dictate how you treat people.
2) Accept that mental illness is a real illness, as real as diabetes or cancer. It has well-known causes and a variety of treatment options.
3) Stop associating blame with the illness. Like diabetes, mental illness can just happen, in spite of our best efforts.
4) Learn about mental illness and its symptoms and treatments. Find out where to get help.
5) Open up the discussion at work. Next time someone goes on a mental health leave, make a point of talking about mental illness in the workplace. Challenge workplace policies and practices that are destructive to good mental health.
Sources: “Effects of Social Isolation Traced to Brain Hormone” & “Social Isolation Worsens Cancer, Mouse Study Suggests” from ScienceDaily.com (www.sciencedaily.com); “Stop the Stigma—mental illness acceptance” from Alberta Health Services (www.capitalhealth.ca); Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (www.cbc.ca); “The Effect of Social Isolation and Loneliness on The Health of Older Women” from Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence (www.pwhce.ca); York, Erin. and Waite, Linda. "Social Isolation and Health Among Older Adults: Assessing the Contributions of Objective and Subjective Isolation" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, TBA, New York, New York City, Aug 11, 2007 . 2010-10-24