Is solitary confinement making anyone else go insane?

[sserafim]

I'm in a state of self-imposed isolation. I've recently started talking out loud to myself, like articulating my thoughts. Is this a sign of insanity?

 

[tbroken]

We are in 2 it seems. Or should i say in 4?
Anyway, i met other people that do the same.

 

[sserafim]

We are in 2 it seems. Or should i say in 4?
Anyway, i met other people that do the same.

I'm a hiki because I like being alone, but I don't know why I'm starting to show the "first sign of insanity"…

 

[tbroken]

I'm a hiki because I like being alone, but I don't know why I'm starting to show the "first sign of insanity"…

I don't know if it is insanity, but I faced extreme bad luck, I met a lot of ruthless people, i was stressed, i isolated myself and I started to talk to myself loud.
When i thought that i might be mad i found this definition online:
"People talk to themselves out loud for many reasons. It could come from loneliness, stress, anxiety, or even trauma. Usually, though, talking to yourself is a healthy, normal, and even beneficial way to process thoughts and experiences."

I think it is a way to don't lose thoughts and stuck them into your head. Maybe you have to remember something really important and you don't want to forget it.

 

[Meteora]

I'm in a state of self-imposed isolation. I've recently started talking out loud to myself, like articulating my thoughts. Is this a sign of insanity?

No absolutely not. Ok, I m not sane either, and I do it a lot. I even read once it is healthy and helps us concentrate. So don't worry .

 

[Linda]

Being alone too long is definitely not good for you. Even a period when you have contact with people at work but limited social interaction outside work is eventually bad for you. I experienced that twice in my life, when my job required me to work in countries where it was hard to interact with people outside of work, because of language and cultural barriers. Each time, after about 2 years, I realised that my judgement was being compromised and that I was starting to act in atypical ways.

You definitly need to get out and interact more with people.

It is particularly important that you do so if you are seriously considering catching the bus. Your judgement at present may not be sound.

 

[Agon321]

Yes. I hate to admit it, but every person needs contact with another human being. If you landed on a lonely island with no Internet access, you would go crazy very quickly. I also love solitude and rarely go out, but I know that my brain needs contact. Nowadays, we have the Internet, which to some extent replaces physical contact with another person. I guess that there are many lonely people on this website who have no one to talk to and their only chance for deeper contact is to use the Internet. Isolation certainly causes changes that are not necessarily positive. After some time, for example, social phobia may appear. I notice from myself that it is more difficult for me to communicate with other people. I'm not a savage yet, but I can see changes.
Physical contact is important for mental health.

 

[sserafim]

Being alone too long is definitely not good for you. Even a period when you have contact with people at work but limited social interaction outside work is eventually bad for you. I experienced that twice in my life, when my job required me to work in countries where it was hard to interact with people outside of work, because of language and cultural barriers. Each time, after about 2 years, I realised that my judgement was being compromised and that I was starting to act in atypical ways.

You definitly need to get out and interact more with people.

It is particularly important that you do so if you are seriously considering catching the bus. Your judgement at present may not be sound.

I don't like other people or interacting with them though. My crush used to tell me to do that when he still talked to me, he said that I should go out and talk to people more. I don't understand why I feel better after going outside though. I don't like social interaction or people, they make me anxious. Is it like an instinctual, subconscious thing, the need for social interaction?

 

[tbroken]

No absolutely not. Ok, I m not sane either, and I do it a lot. I even read once it is healthy and helps us concentrate. So don't worry .

Let's say we may not be sane. Something or someone hurt us, and that is not sane either.
I like to think that I am/ i was just over-focused on my own preservation.

 

[Meteora]

Let's say we may not be sane. Something or someone hurt us, and that is not sane either.
I like to think that I am/ i was just over-focused on my own preservation.

On the other hand, what is sane an who defines it?
Me too, very focussed on self-preservation. I honestly think, that is very "natural". But of course not always helpful.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

I'm in a state of self-imposed isolation. I've recently started talking out loud to myself, like articulating my thoughts. Is this a sign of insanity?

No, that's pretty normal. Thinking out loud is common and can be helpful when it comes to organizing our thoughts.

 

[Linda]

I don't like other people or interacting with them though. My crush used to tell me to do that when he still talked to me…

I think that on this one you should push yourself a bit. You may never like a lot of interaction with people, but that doesn't matter. (I'm introverted, and I neither want nor need a lot of contact with people. But I'm well aware that I need some.) I know that your autism will make interacting with people more difficult than it is for many of us. But I also know that you are intelligent, and that you can figure out a way to deal with those difficulties if you really want to.

It's not often on this site that I give advice without any caveats, but I think I have to do so here. Get out of your isolation.

 

[AbsurdAbyss]

No, but it does help me believe in my own sanity while the world keeps me doubting it.

 

[tbroken]

In my opinion, OP made well speaking out what she thinks might be a problem, at least now she knows she's not alone.
Isolation is not a good thing, but also interactions that you think may not be good for you. I'd focus more on waiting for a good opportunity to leave the shelter and in the meanwhile focus on yourself and develop some interests.

 

[sserafim]

In my opinion, OP made well speaking out what she thinks might be a problem, at least now she knows she's not alone.
Isolation is not a good thing, but also interactions that you think may not be good for you. I'd focus more on waiting for a good opportunity to leave the shelter and in the meanwhile focus on yourself and develop some interests.

What shelter? I live at home in a high rise lol. It's 50+ floors. Maybe I should jump from it…

 

[Homo erectus]

Yes, without feedback, a person starts to hallucinate to fill in the blanks.

 

[mtoro998]

Yes being stuck with my own thoughts is driving me insane. Im forcing myself to be social today to get some relief.

 

[juna]

I have been lonely without a lot of contact from other people due to living alone and work from home. I talk aloud to myself a lot, the brain does what it needs to do to stay sane. We need to hear human voice to remain sane and brain makes us talk to ourselves. It is completely normal, I might not be sane enough example but there are a lot of sane people who do that aloud. Just try to talk to someone if you can find anyone. Yesterday, I met a lady at a bus stop and I guess she was lonely too, she talked to me till the bus came. It was a positive interaction, made me realize how beautiful life is. Depression is sad, I envy the people who don't have it and are normal.

 

[ijustwishtodie]

I've basically always been in solitary confinement... not literally of course but I never really interacted with anybody during academia aside from teachers. Outside of this, I only interact with this site and my family

 

[Morte]

The overwhelming majority of people are insane and they interact with each other a lot

 

[sserafim]

The overwhelming majority of people are insane and they interact with each other a lot

Wdym, they're insane? How so? Well, I guess "it is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society."

 

[InAgony]

I was in isolation except for seeing my mum for years and still am pretty much isolated. Isolation is really unhealthy. It's proven to cause a number of health issues and psychosis is one of them. Even people in prisons who are put in solitary confinement just for a short time develop psychosis.

I don't think talking to yourself is a sign of insanity, just perhaps a sign that you are being affected by the isolation, which isn't good. If you can in any way, try to get some interaction with people for your health's sake. Health is precious. Once you loose it, it's difficult or often impossible to get back.

You might find this article interesting: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20140514-how-extreme-isolation-warps-minds

 

[Morte]

Wdym, they're insane? How so? Well, I guess "it is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society."

They are breeding or have a romanticized view of life and suffering. Talking loudly to yourself is just unusual, but not insanity.

 

[wastingpotential]

i live with relatives but i spend most of my time shut in my room and working on one thing or another, or just straight up rotting in bed.
i don't feel insane per say, just depressed, i don't have anyone i can fully trust where i'm at and leaving the house alone and for a few hours even makes me so wary to even think of.

i don't mind being alone most days, 'if i'm alone nobody can hurt me' is my mindset rn, but loneliness sucks

 

[tbroken]

I have been lonely without a lot of contact from other people due to living alone and work from home. I talk aloud to myself a lot, the brain does what it needs to do to stay sane. We need to hear human voice to remain sane and brain makes us talk to ourselves. It is completely normal, I might not be sane enough example but there are a lot of sane people who do that aloud. Just try to talk to someone if you can find anyone. Yesterday, I met a lady at a bus stop and I guess she was lonely too, she talked to me till the bus came. It was a positive interaction, made me realize how beautiful life is. Depression is sad, I envy the people who don't have it and are normal.

It is true, depression is really a bad thing. When i was normal life was way easier, now i really can't see nothing beautiful in others or i see only the bad things of life. I was stupid, my parents and some people tried to help me, i didn't trust them. My problems were easy to heal and I could be thousands time better than the pos i am. I think that i just want this sh*t to be over. I criticized a lot my parents, but compared to others they are angels, what destroyed me is that I was young and ofc i could not see the future and I was surrounded by assholes.

 

[AshClouds]

I'm in a state of self-imposed isolation. I've recently started talking out loud to myself, like articulating my thoughts. Is this a sign of insanity?

No its a sign of depression. I did the same thing. I pushed all my friends away. Now I don't have friends. I can't really go out because I get depressed and feel out of place.

 

[blacksand]

yes isolation has been one of the big causes of my suicidal state. Its easy to push people away and then realize you've got exactly what you asked for.

I honestly feel very nostalgic for 5 years ago working a job I hated as a carpenters laborer, just the constant laughs and banter and people both good and bad around from 8am to 5pm. I would sleep on the floor of the house we were working on in a tent because I felt more mentally safe there than at home by myself. Working as a trucker is incredibly lonely in comparison.

 

[The Burning Fool]

I do it all the time. I talk gibberish or keep repeating depressing or silly stuff but this morning as I was washing the dishes I talked out loud while translating this Ojibwe saying to my native language: "Sometimes I go about in pity for myself, and all the while, a great wind carries me across the sky"

So anyway, I guess it's for you to know what might be signs of insanity in your behavior.

 

[Dark Moon]

I have also been in isolation for many years and talk to myself sometimes. It gets worse when I'm playing a game.

I don't know if it's insanity, possibly I'm affected because I have been like this for a long time.

 

[1sadtran]

isolation is the only time i feel calm
being known by people is the worst thing and being around people
anxious social situations just make the thoughts go everywhere its better to just stay indoors
in the room alone as much as possible