Unpacking Social Isolation in Men’s Suicidality

Abstract

Social isolation has featured as a significant and oftentimes all-encompassing risk factor for male suicide, yet, as an explanatory mechanism, it has not been unpacked in terms of what it constitutes in everyday life. The current photovoice study explores the various dimensions of the lived experience of social isolation, as embedded in accounts of suicidality drawn from 35 Canadian men. Study participants narrated the following factors as underpinning their social isolation: (a) family dysfunction and estrangement, (b) marginality and feeling like misfits at school and work, (c) alienation and provisional acceptance of health care, (d) ineffectual and self-harming management, (e) intrusive dislocating thoughts, and (f) society's burdensome and immoral subjects. These interwoven but discrete spheres provide a means for understanding the phenomenology of social isolation and a basis for melding ideas about connectedness, relationality, personal history, and care, along with strategies to support and reduce men's suicidality.

How men step back – and recover – from suicide attempts: A relational and gendered account

“…Where depression is severe in men, two main countering responses to suicidal ideation may operate: 'connecting with family, peers and health care professionals and/or drawing on religious and moral beliefs' (Oliffe et al 2012, p. 506). Conversely, family dysfunction and estrangement, not fitting in at school and work, health care alienation, and a sense of being a burden on society all contributed to men's sense of social isolation (Oliffe et al, 2019).…”

“…Conversely, family dysfunction and estrangement, not fitting in at school and work, healthcare alienation and a sense of being a burden on society all contributed to men’s sense of social isolation (Oliffe et al . 2019).…”

Adapting mental health services to the COVID-19 pandemic: reflections from professionals in four countries

“…The overall health and mental health of the general public may worsen under prolonged self-isolation (e.g. isolation has been consistently related to poorer cardiovascular and mental health outcomes; Cornwell & Waite, 2009;Wang et al, 2017; see systematic overview by Leigh-Hunt et al, 2017), and even more so for those with severe mental disorders (Endo et al, 2017;Oliffe et al, 2019). Moreover, unemployment has been associated with suicide.…”

The Social Construction of a Concept—Orthorexia Nervosa: Morality Narratives and Psycho-Politics

“…We designed separate interview guides with open-ended questions and prompts to direct conversations ( Oliffe et al, 2019 ). Alison Fixsen is a registered complementary therapies practitioner, Anna Cheshire a research in health psychology, and Michelle Berry a registered dietician and psychology graduate.…”