Loneliness is a binding thread that brings together very different experiences of mental ill-health. It’s typically seen as benign, non-political issue, which is to do with people not having enough friends or loved ones in their lives; or not enough intimacy in the relationships they do have.
But what if the roots of loneliness weren't about what people with mental health difficulties are lacking, but about the shadows that mainstream society can't bear to face?
In this seminar, Amy Pollard introduces her first paper as Writer in Residence at Centre for Mental Health. She takes a 200 year step back to set loneliness in mental health in the context of the Enlightenment: the Age of Reason. In this period “madness” (a word referring both to illogical behaviour and mental health difficulties) was cast out into the wilderness. In the twenty-first century, it's time for a new dynamic to emerge.
Paper: Amy Pollard
Discussant: Matthew Taylor
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Dr Amy Pollard is Director of Mental Health Collective and Writer in Residence at Centre for Mental Health. She is a social anthropologist by background.
Matthew Taylor is the Chief Executive of NHS Confederation and regular panelist on Radio 4's Moral Maze. He was formerly Chief Executive of the RSA.