When someone with PTSD self-isolates, they are feeling overwhelmed and unsafe in groups. They feel misunderstood, abandoned and alone. They become uninterested in being in groups even when its friends and family, people they know they can trust. They are not getting the social interaction due to not wanting to be around people. If the person is already an introvert, self-isolation may be something they’ve already been doing, but if it’s something they don’t normally do then its more serious then they leading on.
It’s hard to reach out to someone who is in self-isolation. It’s obvious that they are going through something, and it doesn’t matter how hard or how often someone tries to get them to be socially active is a loss cause, but the more in depth the isolation is, the more harmful it gets. It’s not easy for someone to get out of isolation, once they get weeks, sometimes months into it, they get so consumed by what’s bothering them that they don’t find the strength or the energy they need to get the help they deserve. It gets more difficult as time goes on.
People get inside their own heads and feel trapped. They don’t reach out because they feel like they can handle it on their own. This will lead to loneliness, depression, and anxiety.
There are 3 symptoms of social isolation.
Hyperarousal is when someone is on guard. They experience things like getting startled easily, have a hard time concentrating, they are irritable and have outbursts of anger. They also have insomnia.
When this happens, they are exhausted, both emotionally and physically to want to socialize. They choose to stay home because they want to be able to recharge even if it means not going out and missing events with friends and family. They find being with people overwhelming and frustrating.
Intrusion is flashbacks of a traumatic event that happened to someone. It can happen when they are going on with their daily lives. They will have memories or images of past events. They will have repetitive nightmares that are frightening.
Constriction: In the moment of a trauma, a person will “numb” to avoid feelings to survive. Numbness can be used as a long-term coping strategy. It can make the person feel and appear emotionless. When someone goes “numb” they will detach themselves or become uninterested in life. One part of constriction is that the person thinks there’s no future. They will also avoid people and places that remind them of trauma. This comes off as someone who is not being interested.
People get into dark people and don’t want to be a burden. They will do what they can to not be a problem even if it means locking themselves up and avoiding the people that mean the most to them.