Those who are isolated can indeed be said to be experiencing a type of grief. This withdrawal can in fact be a positive part of coping. A significant loss also can contribute to isolation by altering the social contact in our lives. Much of our interaction with friends and the community occurs in association with people and things important to us, eg family members, our job, sporting activities. This isolation is clearly evident with widowed persons whose contact outside the home can be significantly reduced when their partner has died.
Similar isolation can result from the loss of employment, physical ability, etc.
It is worth considering briefly the circumstance of geographic isolation in relation to loss and grief. Geographic relocation intercity, interstate or through migration can lead to isolation and to many changes and losses. The grief associated with this isolation may not be recognised. Those involved can be grieving the loss of home, of friends, of community, of familiar surroundings, of personal history. It has been said that some persons who have migrated experience the loss of a generation as the family takes years to settle and find a place in the new environment.