Social Isolation Linked to Depression

Although some things are returning to the way they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been quite a few changes in what is considered ‘normal’ daily life. One issue which was not necessarily discussed by the mainstream media was that during the time of quarantine many individuals were dealing with social isolation— an extended period of time with no contact with family, friends, and support groups. This occurrence has led to a drastic increase in the amount of people who are now dealing with heightened symptoms of anxiety and depression that resulted from this isolation.

Unfortunately this is not a new problem that was created during the pandemic. In fact, even before COVID-19 social isolation was quite prevalent. According to the CIGNA insurance company which performed a study in 2018, almost half of individuals in America say that they “feel alone” or “left out” in daily life. This has staggering implications for the field of mental and behavioral health which was already experiencing the effects of a national mental health downturn over the past decade. 

What is Social Isolation?

Many of our introverted readers would ask the question “what is the difference between quality alone time, and detrimental social isolation?” Although it varies from person to person, the difference between simply spending quality time by yourself and true isolation happens when the periods of time alone are punctuated by a lack of family and social support. This leads to lower interaction frequency with individuals that have strong social bonds and results in a nagging sense of dissatisfaction. If not addressed quickly with adaptive coping strategies, this feeling can quickly develop into more severe symptoms that are related to anxiety and depression.

However, this is not to say that loneliness only occurs in the absence of social interaction. In fact, up to 28% of adults who were fairly involved in family life and community engagements still identified with feelings of dissatisfaction and disconnect from those around them. What this proves is that it is not necessarily just the presence of others which prevents social isolation, but quality interactions between individuals that is key. 

Additionally, even though businesses and stores are opening back up, heightened anxiety about COVID contraction due to interaction in a public place can force individuals to stay at a distance from each other or stay home even longer which further increases the amount of social isolation they are facing.