2. Isolation and Mental Health

Most people will agree with the idea that humans are social creatures. This means that humans are meant to live with other humans and have regular interaction with others. So, if this is true, what would happen to humans who have most, if not all, social interaction with other humans eliminated?

The results that have been found show that the effect of isolation is disastrous on the human psyche.

For many, living in solitary confinement can lead to madness and other mental health problems, no matter the length of time spent in solitary confinement. Though, it is agreed by many, that the minimum amount of time isolated needed to cause permanent damage is between ten and 15 days. Considering that there are prisoners who have spent months, years, or even decades in solitary, it is easy to see why it has been found that at least half of all suicides that occur in prisons are committed by the small percentage of prisoners in solitary confinement.

Extended time spent in solitary confinement has been found to cause "persistent and heightened state of anxiety and nervousness, headaches, insomnia, lethargy or chronic tiredness, nightmares, heart palpitations, and fear of impending nervous breakdowns... obsessive ruminations, confused thought processes, an over-sensitivity to stimuli, irrational anger, social withdrawal, hallucinations, violent fantasies, emotional flatness, mood swings, chronic depression, feelings of overall deterioration, as well as suicidal ideation" (Torture: The Use of Solitary Confinement in U.S. Prisons). It has also been found that the  neurological damage caused by solitary confinement is similar to that found in head trauma injuries.

It is because of the damaged caused by solitary confinement that critics believe that solitary confinement is legalized torture.

Sources:

• http://ccrjustice.org/solitary-factsheet
• http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21992-does-solitary-confinement-breach-the-eighth-amendment.html#.VKomavnF-gZ