From Persistent Loneliness to Solitary Confinement: The Effects of Social Isolation
October 19, 2019
9 a.m. - 10 a.m. PST
Session Description
As social animals, our health depends on interactions with others. Yet millions suffer from chronic isolation, and solitary confinement is the extreme example. Solitary confinement has been ruled as cruel and unusual punishment by the United Nations Committee on Torture. Yet in the US some 80,000 spend days, even years, experiencing absolutely no physical contact with others. Studies of solitary confinement can potentially provide insight into less extreme examples such as assisted living, nursing homes, and persistent loneliness. Implications of solitary isolation will be discussed with a neurobiologist, a psychologist, a physician, a lawyer, and an individual held in solitary confinement for 29 years.