What is mental isolation? What to do in case?
Updated: Sep 18
WHO says, social support networks have very positive effects on health. In fact, so many leading and developed countries have established public health advising and treatment institutions for depression and loneliness type dis-eases.
In the fast developing world people have been so busy in earning for luxury and comfort that social networks and relations are weakened. For convenience, online social media platforms have been designed to connect people but these are not enough.
Mental isolation or Loneliness
Mental isolation is a psychological state of brain in which a person may feel isolated or distracted from the rest of the world. It is different from the state of social or physical isolation. Loneliness at first was described as vulnerability. Sometimes the mental isolation results into loneliness which could present in a person’s mind between the crowd and even when a lot of people are around.
Loneliness is a type of feeling of sadness or distress and feeling of having no connection from the rest of the world. This feeling may be for a short duration and for a long duration too. Short term loneliness feeling is very common in teenage and ’Ty–age’ group Young persons. While long term loneliness feeling affect generally adults due to many reasons and could result into fatal unexpected things.
Symptoms of loneliness or mental isolation
Tiredness, low energy and lack of motivation.
Body ache, headaches, muscles tension and pain
Sleep problems – sudden increase or decrease of sleeping pattern
Sudden changed behaviour in alcohol drinking and smoking
Sudden loss or gain of weight
Hopelessness or worthlessness
Thoughts of suicide
Some of the mental health risks associated with loneliness
Depression
Anxiety
Schizophrenia
Suicide
Dementia
Alzheimer’s disease
Loneliness or depression mainly affects adult people because of
Retirement or being single
Widowhood or divorce
Children leaving home or living alone
Age related health problems
Effect of pandemic and social distancing over mental health
From the perspective of mental health professionals
Although social distancing is a good method to prevent the spread of many viruses but it has also adverse effect over the human mental health.
Immediate lockdown and order of ‘stay in home’, shutting public places lead many bad effects over humanity.
People working in areas like public relations, public communication and open areas where transactions and interactions had become habit of these people, would feel severe effect of this pandemic situation. Although the pandemic has given an opportunity to get connected with family and spend happy time, people living single without family would feel a lot of effect.
Effect of pandemic over Isolated Brain
Studies over animals and people have shown several Brian structural changes which appear to be affected by lack of social network and relationships communications in physical form.
Although every person has different level of counter levels to isolation but these type of experiments throw light upon how could devastating effect of isolation be on animal’s and people’s brain structure.
How to stay connected during pandemic
Mail
Phone calls and text
E-mail
Social Media
Video chat platforms
Conference calls with old friends and relatives
How to help others if you find someone in recasting condition
First of all try to listen him/her patiently without judgement.
Call local emergency number or 911
Stay with person and let him or her pour him/herself to you.
Stay with the person until the professionals come
Try to remove any thing which could be hazardous and threatening to life.