The Effects of Loneliness The Damaging Effects of Social Isolation Though there are a number of explanations for social isolation in teens, each is detrimental to a teenager’s development. Whether it is because the teen is overly shy or cannot seem to find a peer group to fit in to, a lack of socialization can have a permanent effect. Loneliness has been associated with a number of poor mental health outcomes. It may be a response to a mental health condition or it could be the trigger that initiates a mental health condition. Depression: There is a strong relationship between feeling loneliness and depression. If you’ve been feeling socially isolated or lonely, negative self-beliefs and suicidal thinking may increase, while life satisfaction often decreases. Self-isolation is also a common symptom of depressive episodes. Suicide: There’s greater risk of suicide, for teens end up alone hiding behind the wall they build pushing away all the help they may get. Self-isolating may blind teens preventing them from seeing how important and worthy of living they are, which may lead to suicide. Anxiety: Because socialization takes practice, chronic loneliness can also lead to or exacerbate already existing social anxiety. Having a strong support system is a protective factor against anxiety, so if you don’t have that support, your general anxiety levels may increase and you could have a more difficult time with emotion regulation. There are also increased stress responses and cortisol levels (the primary stress hormone). Substance Use: Substance misuse/abuse is prevalent in people dealing with chronic loneliness or isolation. It is common to numb painful feelings with alcohol or other drugs. Loneliness is recognized as a risk factor in all stages of alcoholism. It can also have indirect effects on substance use due to increased stress. Poor self-care: Activities such as bathing, grooming, and nutrition may get neglected. Teens may stop taking good care of their appearances and hygiene, for they are home all days. Nothing encouraging them to change out of their pajama and take a shower since they don’t go out. Decrease in positive outlook: teens may find that their outlook on life has become negative, and everything around them may appear meaningless or useless. Social media: Consequently, teens isolate themselves and use technology for connection and distraction. Therefore, they are also at risk of social media addiction. Poor sleep quality: Less restful and less restorative sleep Negative impact on physical health; more detrimental for overall health than obesity, smoking, or high blood pressure Heart disease: Social isolation and loneliness were associated with a 29% risk of heart disease and a 32% increased risk of stroke. Loneliness in heart failure patients was associated with approximately a 68% increased risk of hospitalization, and a 57% increased risk of emergency department visits. Weaker immune system: The immune system of a lonely person responds differently to fighting viruses, which makes it more vulnerable to infection. Increased inflammation: People who are more socially connected show less inflammation in the body; on the contrary, those who are more isolated and lonely show increased chronic inflammation. Cardiovascular diseases: All of what was mentioned before can speed up the brain and cardiovascular aging. A socially isolated person may have an increased risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease or an accident or suicide. Alzheimer’s disease: The biology of loneliness can accelerate plaque formation in arteries, promote inflammation in the brain leading to Alzheimer's disease, and help cancer cells to grow and spread. https://trailscarolina.com/blog/social-isolation-in-teens-the-damaging-effects-of-being-left-out/ https://mhanational.org/loneliness-hard-kids-and-teens https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/empowering-teens/teenage-isolation/ https://www.scientificworldinfo.com/2020/07/how-does-social-isolation-affect-physical-health.html ma ba3ref iza ela 3ezi bas 7abbait 7ot credible info aw whatsoever How Does Social Isolation Affect Physical Health? … A Study Responds The research led by Dr. Kimberley Smith, a lecturer in health psychology at the University of Surrey in Britain, examined the effect of social isolation on bodies. Dr. Kimberley Smith says: "I have always had an interest in the link between mental and physical health, in particular how depression relates to health outcomes and physical infections. But with the current circumstances, it drew my attention to loneliness and social isolation, and I decided to collaborate with Professor Christina Victor, one of the world's leading experts on loneliness, "according to Psychology Today. The research examines the signs of long-term inflammation, because it is linked to poor health, and Smith says: "To find all the studies that answered these questions related to our study, we searched five scientific databases, bibliographies of other papers, and summaries were presented at various scientific meetings, from 7400 Preliminary study. We narrowed the scope of the research to 14 studies to measure the relationship between loneliness and inflammation and 16 studies to measure the relationship of social isolation and inflammation. This process was not easy, as it took two and a half years from conducting the initial research until the research paper was completed and written." The study found that the more people become socially isolated, the higher the levels of acute inflammatory markers and this appeared through two signs: The first is the presence of a C-reactive protein (CRP) that indicates physical infections. CRP is produced by the liver and is elevated when there is inflammation in the body. The second is fibrinogen, a blood plasma protein that is made in the liver. Fibrinogen is one of thirteen coagulation factors that is responsible for normal blood clotting. Smith said: "Although we found that there is a correlation between social isolation and inflammation, we cannot say definitively. Social isolation can lead to physical inflammation, but it is also possible that physical inflammation can also lead to social isolation." He added: "There is no doubt that loneliness is an unpleasant experience that affects our condition, and that social isolation, especially when imposed on you, can be a source of pressure for people. I think the most important thing we can do as a society is to realize that social communication and having meaningful relationships with others is important to all of us. Understanding the importance of social ties can help us understand the importance of communicating with one another. " https://www.scientificworldinfo.com/2020/07/how-does-social-isolation-affect-physical-health.html