A Epidemic of Loneliness

This blog is written by Mark Morris.

In May of 1949, the National Committee for Mental Hygiene, now known as Mental Health America, declared May as mental health awareness month.

Throughout this month, the goal is to make everyone aware of mental health issues. Not only do they want to raise awareness of mental health issues, but they also try to erase some of the stigmas attached.

For 76 years, these mental health organizations have tried to make everyone realize the importance of good mental health. Through their efforts, the stigma of mental health has been greatly reduced. Also, the number of people receiving help has greatly increased.

The other day I was watching a documentary, I honestly can’t remember what it was about, when a psychiatrist stated, “We are in a psychiatric epidemic of loneliness.”

These words arrested my attention. We all know what an epidemic is, but to think we are in a “psychiatric epidemic of loneliness” was hard for me to comprehend. I begin to look into this epidemic a little deeper. One report I read stated 43% of seniors report feeling lonely on a regular basis.

I am convinced that feelings of loneliness are not just from being physically alone. But it is also about feelings of disconnection and not having people to share your experiences with.

Most seniors are retired. Retirement brings a new disconnect. Not only did a job give structure, but it also gave us others to share life experiences with.

Mark Morris, Author

Before we had iPhones, we carried pictures of our children and grandchildren in our wallets and our purses. Now we take countless pictures and have no one to show them to.

Most seniors children have grown and left the nest and the quiet can be deafening at times.

In the sad event, the spouse has passed. It adds another layer of loneliness.

One physician stated that an extended period of loneliness can be as deadly as smoking cigarettes. According to the Brain and Behavioral Research Group, approximately 162,000 people die each year due to loneliness and social isolation. This number exceeds the annual deaths from lung cancer or stroke in the United States.

If a person has a chronic condition, they are 14% to 32% more likely to die if they are suffering from loneliness or social isolation, according to the group called Nature Human Behavior.

It seems that as stresses increase, loneliness also increases. Also, loneliness can contribute to other illnesses, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and dementia, as well as major depression.

If we are in an epidemic of loneliness, we all would do well to take time to just listen to another senior's story or look at their pictures one more time. The Word of the Lord declares that it is not good for man to be alone. For He understood the dangers we would face through prolonged loneliness.

Let’s keep an eye out for those who sit alone in service or at church functions. Yes, we are in an epidemic of loneliness, but we have healing in our hands and what a better way to use them than to reach out and help someone in their time of loneliness.