The Mechanics of Depression ― Blurring boundaries between Loneliness and Solitude

R3 Files Podcast ― The Success of Failure

In this installment, my main focus will be on, examining one of the major causes of depression which is loneliness. The idea of loneliness is closely linked to the concept of solitude and the latter has had a deeply significant influence on my own experience of ongoing adjustment towards depression. The issues surrounding loneliness and solitude are not only inter-connected but they offer a glimpse into how nature designed its own calibration system to address, the more debilitating effects of melancholia. Indeed, this viewpoint is entirely consistent with Irving Kirsch, a vocal critic of the Chemical Imbalance Theory, who questions the theoretical basis of whether depression is an illness at all. Instead, according to Kirsch, it represents a natural reaction to abnormal circumstances.

I begin by clarifying the major difference between the two experiences of solitude and loneliness by stating that, solitude is a voluntary state marked by a choice to spend time alone. However, loneliness is a negative state where there is no given choice, thus leading to feelings of isolation and being alone. I explore some of some key points surrounding loneliness and also address important questions such as; Who is mainly affected by loneliness? And why is it bad for us? But whether, experienced as a chosen or unchosen path loneliness has a fundamental bearing on an individual’s mental health. I reference the work of social neuro-scientists that offer scientific evidence that loneliness causes physiological effects, leading to severe outcomes for our mental health. For instance, it plays a key role in mental disorders such as paranoia and is a known factor in suicide. Furthermore, academic research suggests that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in later life more than doubles, in lonely compared to non-lonely people and is associated with a more rapid cognitive decline and a high risk of mortality.This leads us to reflect on the prevalent and mounting issue of social disconnection, especially in situations where individuals feel marginalized from mainstream society. The growing crisis in mental health disorders, particularly over the past fifty years points to mental health problems occurring more frequently in unequal societies, where the most vulnerable people are inevitably left behind.

Next, I provide an analysis of the concept of solitude, making the case that solitude can either have a positive or a negative impact on a person's well-being, because people's reactions to solitude varies considerably, from loneliness and depression to contentment and happiness. I also outline the key benefits to solitude which may be applied to almost every type of person before addressing the question of; how solitude relates to the contemporary world? In particular, I refer back to an earlier dichotomy, whereby in a technologically advanced world with a greater intensity of urbanization, humans are living closer within higher population densities, and yet we rarely stop to think how difficult it has become to achieve a state of beneficial solitude. This serves as a clear reminder that the concept of solitude reflects, one of two general scenarios. There are those people who prefer solitude because they want to escape from social interaction and those who choose solitude over social interaction because they realize the benefits which accrue from spending time alone.