1. < Depression & Anxiety

Isolation as diagnosis

Posted by lsittll @lsittll, Oct 11, 2020

I have had social workers who feel like I must go to senior centers to make friends because I am 60. Because I do not do this and have many friends they diagnose me as isolated. I do not stay inside all day. Weather permitting I go outside, walking on the bus and getting groceries. I get to see people and make casual friends. This is isolation? have now started to take part in discussions on Mayo Clinic Connect. Mayo Connect is a wonderful resource for persons to make friends and receive support!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Depression & Anxiety Support Group.

Hank | @jesfactsmon | Oct 29, 2020
In reply to @lsittll "I have had problems making and keeping close friends myself. I do not or cannot drive..." + (show)
@lsittll

I have had problems making and keeping close friends myself. I do not or cannot drive to get to places where I could easily meet friends. Not everywhere that I could find friends is accessible by public transportation. The friends I do make are "phonies." They put their phones on answering machine only and do not respond to my messages. They all are engrossed in their families only. The nice thing is that they accept me for who I am. From second to ninth grade I was a total outcast to my classmates. I started having seizures at 6. With all the stigma about that and living in a small town made it worse. I was isolated from my peers. That was me then. Now I live in the city and have lots of casual friends I interact on Mayo Connect. I must get out every day, otherwise I get cabin fever that soars very high

Jump to this post

@lsittll
That is a very sad story about your growing up. No kid should have to be put in a situation such as that. Unfortunately life is not designed to be fair, not even to innocent little kids. As an adult I hope you have been able to process that hurt and managed to grow from it and move beyond it. One good thing about life is that nothing lasts forever (although it can certainly seem like it, especially as a kid). Best, Hank

REPLY
Erika | @erikas | Oct 29, 2020
In reply to @lsittll "I have had problems making and keeping close friends myself. I do not or cannot drive..." + (show)
@lsittll

I have had problems making and keeping close friends myself. I do not or cannot drive to get to places where I could easily meet friends. Not everywhere that I could find friends is accessible by public transportation. The friends I do make are "phonies." They put their phones on answering machine only and do not respond to my messages. They all are engrossed in their families only. The nice thing is that they accept me for who I am. From second to ninth grade I was a total outcast to my classmates. I started having seizures at 6. With all the stigma about that and living in a small town made it worse. I was isolated from my peers. That was me then. Now I live in the city and have lots of casual friends I interact on Mayo Connect. I must get out every day, otherwise I get cabin fever that soars very high

Jump to this post

@lsittll It's positive that your friends accept you for who you are, you make an effort to get out of the house everyday, and you want to make more friends. You have mobility issues due to public transportation and the county may be able to offer some solutions. I'm wondering if you are connected with your local county by means of a social worker?

REPLY
lucy6lucy | @lucy6lucy | Oct 29, 2020
In reply to @lsittll "I have had problems making and keeping close friends myself. I do not or cannot drive..." + (show)
@lsittll

I have had problems making and keeping close friends myself. I do not or cannot drive to get to places where I could easily meet friends. Not everywhere that I could find friends is accessible by public transportation. The friends I do make are "phonies." They put their phones on answering machine only and do not respond to my messages. They all are engrossed in their families only. The nice thing is that they accept me for who I am. From second to ninth grade I was a total outcast to my classmates. I started having seizures at 6. With all the stigma about that and living in a small town made it worse. I was isolated from my peers. That was me then. Now I live in the city and have lots of casual friends I interact on Mayo Connect. I must get out every day, otherwise I get cabin fever that soars very high

Jump to this post

Hi my name is Didi and I feel the same way as you did move to the city and had lots of friends I had moved to Florida and they have no friends I wish I could move back to the city and be around people who live in a small town don't know anybody and I'm very isolated

REPLY
lsittll | @lsittll | Oct 29, 2020

Those years of being unaccepted by my peers are behind me. I can easily put many things in the back and say things happen, things happen I have no control over them. @erikas I am not aware of there being any social worker with the county who could help me with transportation. I know there is paratransit through the county. That I have. It is quite expensive. To go from the county to the city to where my doctor is costs $6 one way! There is also the paratransit system through the local bus company. I had that once. I did not pass the recertification. It now i almost impossible to get it.

REPLY
3 replies
Hank | @jesfactsmon | Oct 30, 2020
In reply to @lsittll "Those years of being unaccepted by my peers are behind me. I can easily put many..." + (show)
@lsittll

Those years of being unaccepted by my peers are behind me. I can easily put many things in the back and say things happen, things happen I have no control over them. @erikas I am not aware of there being any social worker with the county who could help me with transportation. I know there is paratransit through the county. That I have. It is quite expensive. To go from the county to the city to where my doctor is costs $6 one way! There is also the paratransit system through the local bus company. I had that once. I did not pass the recertification. It now i almost impossible to get it.

Jump to this post

@lsittll
If you are on a limited and fixed income I would think there must be an agency that would reimburse for travel expenses to your doctor, no? Forgive me my ignorance on that. But alternatively, is there a volunteer service located near you that drives people to their doctor appts'? I noticed a couple of websites about that when I was looking at volunteer opportunities in my area a while back. You might check online about that.

I am glad your more mature grown up self has been able to have a better perspective on your ill treatment by others when you were young. That is truly great and a testament to your emotional health! Best, Hank

REPLY
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Oct 30, 2020
In reply to @lsittll "Those years of being unaccepted by my peers are behind me. I can easily put many..." + (show)
@lsittll

Those years of being unaccepted by my peers are behind me. I can easily put many things in the back and say things happen, things happen I have no control over them. @erikas I am not aware of there being any social worker with the county who could help me with transportation. I know there is paratransit through the county. That I have. It is quite expensive. To go from the county to the city to where my doctor is costs $6 one way! There is also the paratransit system through the local bus company. I had that once. I did not pass the recertification. It now i almost impossible to get it.

Jump to this post

@lsittll, To find free or low cost programs and services to find help with things like food, transportation, medical care and more, check out this search engine called "My Help Navigator" powered by Aunt Bertha. It's a social care network that connects people and programs: https://myhelpnavigator.auntbertha.com/

All you have to do is enter your zip code to find service in your area. I hope there is a service that can help with your transportation needs.

REPLY
1 reply
Erika | @erikas | Nov 2, 2020
In reply to @lsittll "Those years of being unaccepted by my peers are behind me. I can easily put many..." + (show)
@lsittll

Those years of being unaccepted by my peers are behind me. I can easily put many things in the back and say things happen, things happen I have no control over them. @erikas I am not aware of there being any social worker with the county who could help me with transportation. I know there is paratransit through the county. That I have. It is quite expensive. To go from the county to the city to where my doctor is costs $6 one way! There is also the paratransit system through the local bus company. I had that once. I did not pass the recertification. It now i almost impossible to get it.

Jump to this post

@lsittll This conversation started by you asking about isolation as a diagnosis. Therapists use the DSM and isolation is not a diagnosis but social work may be using some sort of way to categorize people, as you said they labeled you as "isolated." The only purpose I can see to give you such a label would be so you could access some sort of services.

May I ask the task of the social worker and the purpose of the label of isolation?

REPLY
lsittll | @lsittll | Nov 2, 2020

@erikas

Thank you for responding and telling me isolation is not a diagnosis. I never thought or imagined it as being one. Isolated sounds phony to me.

The social worker is someone at the Jewish Community Services. She is quite older. I see her as labeling me as isolated based on my childhood. My peers would not associate with me after I began having seizures. I was rather isolated then. Now friends accept me for who I am and I no longer live in a small town with small minded people. I only have one close friend now. I have many casual friends. She gave that diagnosis to my new therapist about me so she could treat me based on it. Does this social worker think disabled persons are disabled? Whatever it is very disturbing because I am NOT isolated! I wish my new therapist had never shown me the diagnosis that my old therapist gave me.

REPLY
1 reply
lsittll | @lsittll | Nov 2, 2020
In reply to @colleenyoung "@lsittll, To find free or low cost programs and services to find help with things like..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

@lsittll, To find free or low cost programs and services to find help with things like food, transportation, medical care and more, check out this search engine called "My Help Navigator" powered by Aunt Bertha. It's a social care network that connects people and programs: https://myhelpnavigator.auntbertha.com/

All you have to do is enter your zip code to find service in your area. I hope there is a service that can help with your transportation needs.

Jump to this post

@ colleenyoung

Thank you for the information. I am having some luck looking into it.

REPLY
lsittll | @lsittll | Nov 2, 2020
In reply to @lsittll "@erikas Thank you for responding and telling me isolation is not a diagnosis. I never thought..." + (show)
@lsittll

@erikas

Thank you for responding and telling me isolation is not a diagnosis. I never thought or imagined it as being one. Isolated sounds phony to me.

The social worker is someone at the Jewish Community Services. She is quite older. I see her as labeling me as isolated based on my childhood. My peers would not associate with me after I began having seizures. I was rather isolated then. Now friends accept me for who I am and I no longer live in a small town with small minded people. I only have one close friend now. I have many casual friends. She gave that diagnosis to my new therapist about me so she could treat me based on it. Does this social worker think disabled persons are disabled? Whatever it is very disturbing because I am NOT isolated! I wish my new therapist had never shown me the diagnosis that my old therapist gave me.

Jump to this post

@erikas

You have done a very good job and fully answered my question. I didn't think there was or could be such a diagnosis as isolation. My current counselor only knows the diagnosis seems puzzled and knows nothing about my childhood and my isolation then. She asks weekly if I feel isolated. The next time she asks I will need to respond as Ginger said and I will also need to say that was only in childhood.

REPLY
1 reply
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.