Isolation is a condition of being separated from other people. It can be used for a variety of purposes. Hospitals use it to keep patients from catching or transmitting illness. Parents and schools use it in the forms of “time-out” to punish misbehavior. In prisons it means to separate a prisoner from others for the sake of safety or punishment. In psychology it can be used to describe behavior that causes an individual to deliberately draw away from other people and the outside world.
“Isolating,” or the voluntary withdrawing from social situations, can also be a symptom of mental health issues such as depression. Humans are gregarious beings that do not do well when isolated from other people. While short-term isolation can serve as an effective punishment, prolonged isolation, such as solitary confinement, causes (or exacerbates) mental health difficulties.