The Psychology of Solitary Confinement

When I say, “The third week of March 2020”, what do you remember? The Lockdown, right? Imagine you lived separately from your family for work and had to manage the lockdown all alone. The first few months felt relaxing and fun making Dalgona coffee, binge watching all your favourite series on OTT. The work-from-home life was good then, you needn’t have to worry about the tiring bus journey to your workplace every day. Well, then the lockdown got extended and loneliness started to seep in slowly. 

You now want to meet your colleagues in person. You started to miss your family like never before. Being alone wasn’t fun anymore and became more distressing.  If this was the case during a pandemic-hit lockdown, did you know people are made to go through this lonely life for decades? Yes, I’m talking about solitary confinement, an isolation practice. Let us look at what solitary confinement is and how it impacts mental health and behaviour.

What is Solitary Confinement?

Solitary confinement has been a part of the prison system globally since its onset. Typically, it involves intense isolation with minimal social contact and very harsh living conditions for extended periods. Inmates might be allowed out of their cells briefly, sometimes just an hour a day. However, the exact conditions can differ significantly from one prison system to another. It is also used to separate unsafe patients or protect other patients. When a lockdown during a pandemic where there were plenty of options for remote interactions did have effects on mental health, imagine how much more chronic social isolation can affect. 

What are the Symptoms of Social Isolation?

Human beings are social animals. They are designed to live and interact in a social environment. Confinement or segregation creates something called isolation panic. Isolation panic is the intense fear or anxiety experienced when someone is alone or isolated for a long time. This panic manifests as one or a few of the following symptoms.

1. Hallucinations 
2. Irrational Anger
3. Sleep Deprivation 
4. Identity Crisis
5. Cognitive decline 
6. Emotional numbness
7. Hypersensitivity to stimulus 
8. The build-up of physical and mental tension (that leads to self-harming incidents)

What are its Impacts?

Studies on solitary confinement show that it can lead to a range of harmful effects on individuals. It affects the psychological, behavioural, neurological and physical health of the individual. Let us see how.

1. Psychological Impacts

• Anxiety and stress: In an isolated environment there is very little sensory input. When this continues for a prolonged period, it leads to sensory deprivation. The lack of external stimuli forces the brain to rely more on internal processes, often leading to heightened anxiety and stress.
• Cognitive Decline: A prolonged lack of sensory stimulation can affect the brain’s ability to store and recall information, leading to problems with memory. Reduced sensory engagement can make it harder to concentrate and process information. It impacts overall cognitive function and decision-making skills.
• Hallucinations and distorted perceptions: Without enough sensory input, the brain might start to create false images or sounds, making people see or hear things that aren’t actually there. Sensory deprivation can alter how someone perceives reality, leading to confusion and difficulty distinguishing between real and imagined experiences.

2. Behavioural Impacts

• Emotional Numbness and Withdrawal: Another common behavioural change is withdrawal and apathy. People who are socially deprived may lose interest in activities they once enjoyed. They might become more passive and less motivated.
• Irrational Aggression: Social deprivation can lead to increased aggression and irritability. Studies have shown that people in solitary confinement can exhibit heightened aggression and hostile behaviour. This is because the lack of social interaction can make individuals hypersensitive to stress and frustration.
• Self-Harming: Built-up mental tension due to loss of control during incarceration leads to people involving themselves in self-mutilating activities. Research also says that 78% of people are more likely to end their lives by self-harm within the first year of release from confinement.
• Sleep Deprivation: Another pronounced effect of solitary confinement is sleep deprivation. The set-up where people are incarcerated is mostly dark. The sleep cycle is majorly regulated by the release of a hormone called melatonin which relies on light. With no source of brightness during isolation, the circadian rhythm is completely wrecked.

3. Neurological Impacts

• Fewer Neurons: Research findings say that just 1 week of incarceration can make physical changes to the brain. Due to a lack of sensory input, there are fewer neurons and reduced neuron connections in the brain leading to dissatisfactory intellectual functions.
• Shrinking Hippocampus: One key area affected is the hippocampus, which plays a crucial role in learning, memory, and spatial awareness. It also helps manage the body’s response to stress, and if it shrinks, it can lead to difficulties in controlling emotions and handling stress.
• Amygdala Surge: Forced isolation can trigger increased activity in the amygdala, the part of the brain that handles fear and anxiety. This is why people in solitary confinement frequently report feeling high levels of both.

4. Physical Impact 

• Immune system weakens: Social deprivation doesn’t only affect mental health; it also impacts physical health. Research has found that social isolation can weaken the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to illness. 
• Hypertension and cardiovascular disease risk: Long-term social isolation is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. The stress of being socially aloof can lead to higher blood pressure and heart problems. People in solitary confinement experience heart palpitations, sleep deprivation and weakness.

Solitary Confinement: Key points on mental health 

• Primarily, this type of isolation not only has an immediate psychological impact on the person but is also long-lasting. Incarcerated people have a very high chance of having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
• People with already a history of mental health disorders have more adverse effects.
• Mental health impacts worsen when the periods of isolation are prolonged.
• There is a significant risk of self-harm or mutilation.

Solitary Confinement: A few recommendations

Several ideas are proposed to improve solitary isolation, a few are listed below.

• Make extra efforts to exclude people with a history of psychological disorders from isolation.
• Including compulsory mental illness screening before and during confinement.
• Teaching the inmates to cope with society after release from confinement.
• Maintaining standard physical hygiene during isolation.
• Providing a minimal level of social interaction.

The relationship between solitary confinement and mental health shows a negative effect. There are several dangerous psychopathological effects due to solitary confinement. Measures must be taken to evaluate mental well-being equally to that of physical well-being.

FAQs:

1. What is social confinement?

It involves intense isolation with minimal social contact and very harsh living conditions for extended periods.

2. Mention some psychological effects of solitary confinement 

Anxiety, stress, cognitive decline and hallucinations.

3. Mention some behavioural Impacts of solitary confinement 

Irrational aggression, sleep deprivation, emotional numbness and withdrawal.

4. What are the mental health key points in solitary confinement?

• It has long-lasting effects.
• It has extreme effects if the person already has a history of mental illness.
• Its impact increases with longer periods.