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social isolation

isolation of an individual from social contact or social functions. One of the I's of geriatrics. Etiology: - dementia - Down's syndrome - pain - psychiatric disorders - depression - personality disorders - schizoid personality disorder - schizotypal personality disorder - schizophrenia - posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - hearing loss - others Complications: - increased risk for dementia [3,4] - diminished cognitive function-related regional brain volume [16] - increased risk for myocardial infarction & stroke [12] - increased all-cause mortality [13,15] - increased cardiovascular & cancer-specific mortality [15] - increased risk of anxiety & depression [13] - increased risk of infectious disease [13] - functional impairment [13] - death from overdose or suicide [13] - increased risk of social frailty Management: - if associated with loneliness, assess access to & comfort with using technology for social interaction [4] - idea of robots for friendship & companionship for older adults & sex for older adults with disabilies suggested [7]

Related

living alone loneliness social frailty

General

isolation social disorder

References

  1. Stedman's Medical Dictionary 27th ed, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999.
  2. Veterans Administration
  3. Wang HX, Karp A, Herlitz A, Personality and lifestyle in relation to dementia incidence. Neurology. 2009 Jan 20;72(3):253-9. PMID: 19153372 - George J Social Isolation Tied to Higher Risk of Subsequent Dementia. Isolation linked with lower brain volume in areas related to cognition. MedPage Today June 9, 2022 https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/dementia/99159 - Shen C, Rolls E, Chen W et al Associations of Social Isolation and Loneliness With Later Dementia. Neurology. June 8, 2022 PMID: 35676089 https://n.neurology.org/content/early/2022/06/08/WNL.0000000000200583
  4. Geriatric Review Syllabus, 8th edition (GRS8) Durso SC and Sullivan GN (eds) American Geriatrics Society, 2013 - Geriatric Review Syllabus, 11th edition (GRS11) Harper GM, Lyons WL, Potter JF (eds) American Geriatrics Society, 2022
  5. Smith TF, Hirdes JP. Predicting social isolation among geriatric psychiatry patients. Int Psychogeriatr. 2009 Feb;21(1):50-9. PMID: 18959811
  6. Blazer D. Social isolation and loneliness in older adults - A mental health/public health challenge. JAMA Psychiatry 2020 Jun 3 PMID: 32492078 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2766710
  7. UW Medicine. News Release Nov 17, 2020 Could robots for sex, friendship improve our aging society? University of Washington, Seattle WA https://newsroom.uw.edu/news/could-robots-sex-friendship-improve-our-aging-society - Jecker NS Nothing to be ashamed of: sex robots for older adults with disabilities. J Med Ethics 2020 Nov 16 PMID: 33199655 https://jme.bmj.com/content/early/2020/10/23/medethics-2020-106645
  8. The National Academy of Sciences - Engirneering - Medicine Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System. Consensus Study Report HIGHLIGHTS:. Feb 2020 https://www.nap.edu/resource/25663/Social%20Isolation%20and%20Loneliness%20Report%20Highlights.pdf
  9. Gardiner C, Geldenhuys G. Gott M. Interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness among older people: an integrative review. Health Soc Care Community. 2018;26(2):147-157 PMID: 27413007 Free article https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hsc.12367
  10. Kotwal AA, Holt-Lunstad J, Newmark RL et al. Social isolation and loneliness among San Francisco bay area older adults during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021;69(1):20-29 PMID: 32965024 PMCID: PMC7536935 Free PMC article https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.16865
  11. Fakoya OA, McCorry NK, Donnelly M. Loneliness and social isolation interventions for older adults: a scoping review of reviews. BMC Public Health. 2020;20(1):129 PMID: 32054474 PMCID: PMC7020371 Free PMC article https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-8251-6
  12. Cene CW, Beckie TM, Sims M et al Effects of Objective and Perceived Social Isolation on Cardiovascular and Brain Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. J Am Heart Assoc. 2022 Aug 4:e026493 PMID: 35924775
  13. Holt-Lunstad J, Perissinotto C Perspective. Social Isolation and Loneliness as Medical Issues. N Engl J Med 2023; 388:193-195. Jan 19. PMID: 36648080 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2208029
  14. The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community. 2023 Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf
  15. Wang F, Gao Y, Han Z et al A systematic review and meta-analysis of 90 cohort studies of social isolation, loneliness and mortality. Nat Hum Behav. 2023. Jun 19 PMID: 37337095 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01617-6
  16. Hirabayashi N, Honda T, Hata J et al Association Between Frequency of Social Contact and Brain Atrophy in Community- Dwelling Older People Without Dementia: The JPSC-AD Study. Neurology 2023. July 12 PMID: 37438128 https://n.neurology.org/content/early/2023/07/12/WNL.0000000000207602