by Elise Stobbe | May 15, 2006
Think about what it would be like to spend
most of your time alone because being around other people is just too
difficult. You feel that others are judging you for your mental illness,
and so you are scared to face the world. You withdraw to avoid this
stigmatization. This social withdrawal is emotionally very costly. But
this is a two-way street — the mentally ill withdraw from
society–society withdraws from them.
An Australian survey reported that two-thirds of people affected by a
mental illness feel lonely “often” or “all of the time”. The research
says in contrast, just 10 per cent of the general population reported
feelings of loneliness. (1)
Social relationships are important for anyone in maintaining health,
but for the mentally ill it is especially important. People with mental
illness value contact with family. But families may be unwilling to
interact with their mentally ill family member. Social isolation is also
sometimes due to the unwillingness of others to befriend the mentally
ill. The public may avoid them altogether. The stigma associated with
mental illness creates huge barriers to socialization.
People with severe mental illness are probably the most isolated
social group of all. They are judged, disrespected and made into
pariahs. They fear rejection from others, who may be afraid of the
mentally ill, so the mentally ill person may feel overwhelmed by the
thought of attempting to form new friendships. Just avoiding any contact
is often the choice. Or, they may make a great effort to conceal their
condition from others, which results in additional stress from worrying
about their true condition being discovered.
It is sometimes the case that the severely mentally ill person
becomes homeless. This in itself is isolating, and they then must suffer
the double stigmatization of being homeless as well as mentally ill.
Another reason the person with mental illness may experience social
isolation is the nature of their mental illness. Social phobias like
agoraphobia, or severe anxiety or depression often cause the suffering
person to be afraid to venture out into society.
When anyone, mentally ill or not, does not have enough social
contact, it affects them mentally and even physically. Loneliness
creates stress, taking a toll on health. Other things affected can be
the ability to learn and memory function. High blood pressure is also
seen. It can be the trigger of depression and alcoholism. (2) Imagine
the consequences, then, if you are already depressed or have other
mental illnesses? Loneliness can make you worse. Loneliness and loss of
self-worth lead many mentally ill to believe that they are useless, and
so they live with a sense of hopelessness and low self-esteem.
Social isolation is both a cause and an effect of mental distress.
When the person isolates more, they face more mental distress. With more
mental distress, they want to isolate. This vicious cycle relegates
many people with severe mental illness to a life of social segregation
and isolation.
Many people with severe psychiatric disabilities say that the stigma
associated with their illness is as distressing as the symptoms
themselves. This stigmatization not only prevents them from interacting
with others, but may prevent them from seeking treatment, which in turn
exposes them to a greater risk of suicide.
Too often the public does not understand the challenges of the
mentally ill and doesn’t want to try. It is therefore necessary to
confront biased social attitudes in order to reduce the discrimination
and stigma of people who are living with mental illness.
References
1. Mentally Ill ‘neglected by communities’. (05/08/2002). Yahoo. AU.
