I recently came across some articles about the effects of being lonely, which is how I have felt for almost 4 years, waiting for my (currently ex, but I don't know) girlfriend to commit to me and move.

These articles seem to confirm that the act of making me wait has caused me emotional distress. I hope that this can be taken into consideration when friends (mine and hers) wonder why I act so strangely. I also hope she would take that into account, and stop complaining that I've emotional bruises when I've been beaten with an emotional baseball bat!

I find it obvious that solitary confinement in prison is considered a punishment. In a worse state of absolute loneliness it is considered torture!
In the first reference below it is interesting they say that prisoners in solitary confinement have feelings of:
      "depression, despair, anxiety, rage, claustrophobia, hallucinations,
      problems with impulse control, and/or an impaired ability to think, concentrate, or remember."
I quite identify with a few of those!

The Effects of Solitary Confinement and Social Isolation on Mental and Emotional Health:
• serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neur...ner.html
[from Neurobiology and Behavior - "Serendip" at Bryn Mawr college, Bryn Mawr, PA]

Silent treatment does more harm than good:
• www.psych.purdue.edu/index.php
[from Psychology at Purdue, West Lafayette, IN]

Even NASA is aware than a large segment of the population of humans cannot be left alone for long durations, they plan to have family go with the astronauts to keep them from making mistakes, being depressed, and working far more effectively and efficiently:
• www.popularmechanics.com/blogs...3.html

Anyone know of any other studies?
Is this how you feel about being lonely too?