Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson Essay

How Social Isolation Can Damage One's Brain: An Analysis of the Disorder In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda struggles with numerous mental health issues, but none are more alarming than her struggles with feeling isolated from others around her. These struggles cause her other symptoms to massively rise in severity. Social isolation is a problem that many people deal with, and through the novel, Anderson dives deeply into the effects that it has on someone. One's environment can affect their ability or want to socialize, and people who have bad environments or surroundings are more likely to become socially isolated. “The various factors associated with situational loneliness are environmental factors (“unpleasant experiences,

People who suffer from chronic loneliness or social isolation can experience stress-induced stress or enhanced feelings of depression. “Lonely people suffer from more depressive symptoms, as they have then been reported to be less happy, less satisfied, and more pessimistic (Mushtaq et al.). People who suffer from social isolation often deal with other mental health issues, such as depression or grief, which can often lead to isolating themselves from their surroundings. “Loneliness usually occurs in the absence of a spouse or social support.” (Mushtaq et al., 5) These issues connect to Melindas as her ex-friends and support system acted as her life line, and when she lost them, she began to spiral into a fit of different issues. Melinda’s problems are amplified by her environment and the people within it. When Melinda first arrives at school, she is shunned by classmates and friends, as even her closest friends have turned on her after an incident over the summer. This animosity reaches its peak when Melinda approaches Rachel, and she replies, “Her eyes meet mine for a second. I hate you for not being able

You are the most depressed person I’ve ever met, and excuse me for saying this, but you are no fun to be around, and I think you need professional help.” (Anderson 105) From this moment on, Melinda is completely isolated, and it serves as the end of an era for her, as their friendship was the last one she had. All of Melinda's experiences at school point out that she is dealing with social isolation worse than most will see through their entire lives. The novel also backs up the evidence that social isolation or loneliness can worsen mental health issues, as every time Melinda is overwhelmed or sad, she has no one to go to. Which makes her environment a breeding ground for thoughts of self-harm and horrible interactions. Melinda exhibits glaring symptoms of extreme social isolation. When experiencing isolation and shunning from her classmates, Melinda’s anxiety skyrockets and her mood becomes irritable; these are all signs of someone experiencing social