Surgeon General: addressing the loneliness epidemic

[cattledogkisses]

Surgeon general lays out framework to tackle loneliness and ‘mend the social fabric of our nation’

US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory Tuesday addressing the “epidemic of loneliness and isolation” affecting the country and laying out a framework for a “National Strategy to Advance Social Connection.”

The advisory is part of the Biden administration’s broader efforts to address mental health, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday.
“In recent years, about one-in-two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness,” Murthy says in the advisory. “And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic cut off so many of us from friends, loved ones, and support systems.”

Research has showed that loneliness and isolation are linked to sleep problems, inflammation and immune changes in younger adults. In older people, they’re tied to symptoms such as pain, insomnia, depression, anxiety and shorter life span. In people of all ages, they may be associated with higher risks of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, addiction, suicidality and self-harm, and dementia.

But social connection can help, Murthy’s office said in a statement, serving as a buffer to health problems while making communities more resilient.

www.cnn.com/2023/05/02/health/murthy-loneliness-isolation/index.html

[mpm]

The surgeon general’s media messages sound like corporate wellness initiatives.

Gun violence
Shrinking life expectancy
Heart disease
Maternal mortality
Racial inequities in health outcomes
Diabetes
Food insecurity
Childhood cancer
Covid

Nope. Let’s go with loneliness.

[bronxgirl]

May 2, 2023 11:06:44 GMT -5 cattledogkisses said:

As a mental health professional, I am really happy to read this.  I work with adults with mood disorders and depression and really see the huge impact loneliness can have on mental and physical health and overall functioning. We need to stop sweeping mental health under the rug and definitely stop with the stigma that mental health is somehow less important than other medical and social issues. 

Although I personally current work with adults, these issues are also quite prominent in adolescents. My hospital has had to make a lot of adjustments to create more adolescent psychiatric beds. this is way too important an issue to ignore. 

[StrawberryBlondie]

May 2, 2023 11:48:00 GMT -5 mpm said:

The surgeon general’s media messages sound like corporate wellness initiatives.

Gun violence
Shrinking life expectancy
Heart disease
Maternal mortality
Racial inequities in health outcomes
Diabetes
Food insecurity
Childhood cancer
Covid

Nope. Let’s go with loneliness.

This sounds really dismissive of mental health.

[Velar Fricative]

We have noticed a spike in attendance in our (free) programs for all ages, but particularly for adults (younger *and* older). We offer not just book discussion groups and talks, but arts and gaming programs for adults are really booming with demand too. At first we just thought it was because of the pandemic emergency subsiding to a large degree, which I'm sure is part of it, but many adults are being really honest and saying they're there to also make friends, or just want to be around other people doing fun things because they live alone, etc. I'm glad there is more conversation around this.

It's also sad to think that we looked at technology as the way to connect with people all over, and of course we do that, but it also doesn't combat loneliness. Perhaps it exacerbates it, I don't know.

[mpm]

May 2, 2023 12:18:24 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

May 2, 2023 11:48:00 GMT -5 mpm said:

The surgeon general’s media messages sound like corporate wellness initiatives.

Gun violence
Shrinking life expectancy
Heart disease
Maternal mortality
Racial inequities in health outcomes
Diabetes
Food insecurity
Childhood cancer
Covid

Nope. Let’s go with loneliness.

This sounds really dismissive of mental health.

I think mental health is extremely important, but can’t be addressed in a vacuum. So much of mental health is also related to other issues that we aren’t working hard enough to address.

[orval]

May 2, 2023 11:48:00 GMT -5 mpm said:

The surgeon general’s media messages sound like corporate wellness initiatives.

Gun violence
Shrinking life expectancy
Heart disease
Maternal mortality
Racial inequities in health outcomes
Diabetes
Food insecurity
Childhood cancer
Covid

Nope. Let’s go with loneliness.

Considering all of these issues above have a lonlieness component, this is a good focus.  Check out the Teen Check in Thread on Married Life.  The next generation is lonely. All generations are.  My ds is included in that group -- he has never met up with friends outside of school (10th grade) -- seems there are similar cases in that thread. 

[StrawberryBlondie]

May 2, 2023 12:38:00 GMT -5 mpm said:

May 2, 2023 12:18:24 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

This sounds really dismissive of mental health.

I think mental health is extremely important, but can’t be addressed in a vacuum. So much of mental health is also related to other issues that we aren’t working hard enough to address.

IDK it sounds like you're essentially saying "who cares about loneliness when there are people who have cancer!?"

[pixy0stix]

May 2, 2023 12:18:24 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

May 2, 2023 11:48:00 GMT -5 mpm said:

The surgeon general’s media messages sound like corporate wellness initiatives.

Gun violence
Shrinking life expectancy
Heart disease
Maternal mortality
Racial inequities in health outcomes
Diabetes
Food insecurity
Childhood cancer
Covid

Nope. Let’s go with loneliness.

This sounds really dismissive of mental health.

Not to mention that the office of the Surgeon General through the years has touched on many of these topics. mpm is falling into the trap of "since I haven't heard about it, that means nothing is being done!"

Example: Surgeon General calls gun violence an epidemic - www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2023/01/31/gun-violence-surgeon-general

@@ ETA: Surgeon General call to action on maternal health (2020) - www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/call-to-action-maternal-health.pdf

Surgeon general call to action to control hypertension (2020) - www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/CTA.htm

[noodleoo]

May 2, 2023 12:14:39 GMT -5 bronxgirl said:

May 2, 2023 11:06:44 GMT -5 cattledogkisses said:

Surgeon general lays out framework to tackle loneliness and ‘mend the social fabric of our nation’

www.cnn.com/2023/05/02/health/murthy-loneliness-isolation/index.html

As a mental health professional, I am really happy to read this.  I work with adults with mood disorders and depression and really see the huge impact loneliness can have on mental and physical health and overall functioning. We need to stop sweeping mental health under the rug and definitely stop with the stigma that mental health is somehow less important than other medical and social issues. 

Although I personally current work with adults, these issues are also quite prominent in adolescents. My hospital has had to make a lot of adjustments to create more adolescent psychiatric beds. this is way too important an issue to ignore. 

I agree. Especially after the Covid lockdowns, I feel like a lot of social connections were broken when we all isolated ourselves for so long.  I know I've had to make an effort to reach out to friends I haven't seen in a long time and rebuild those relationships.  So while I agree there are other issues that need to be addressed as well, this feels important to address NOW.

At the same time, I didn't understand what concrete steps he was suggesting.  Social media has fundamentally changed how we interact with people.  

[abs]

I think even just acknowledging and validating that loneliness is a huge concern right now is huge. I know DH and I have talked about this a lot in the last year and have felt this way. I’m glad to see this.

[mpm]

May 2, 2023 12:40:23 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

May 2, 2023 12:38:00 GMT -5 mpm said:

I think mental health is extremely important, but can’t be addressed in a vacuum. So much of mental health is also related to other issues that we aren’t working hard enough to address.

IDK it sounds like you're essentially saying "who cares about loneliness when there are people who have cancer!?"

I mean… yeah, I guess I’d rather be lonely than have cancer, if you want to put it that way.

But loneliness is affected by so many other elements of our crumbling US systems. Having cancer and supporting a loved one through cancer treatment or other diagnosis is lonely because we don’t have sufficient paid time off in this country to allow people to deal with a loved one’s medical crisis. Having @@

SPOILER: Click to show

kids in this country is lonely because we don’t offer parents sufficient time off or societal supports to raise a family.

. Employers require more and more of employee’s time, leaving less and less time for social connections. We’re ignoring a pandemic and giving at-risk individuals no choice but isolation. Loneliness has systemic roots, and if we’re not working to correct those systemic issues too, the launching a “loneliness” campaign sounds like lip service akin to a corporate wellness campaign.

[pixy0stix]

Current Surgeon General's addressing the crumbling health system by addressing worker burnout - www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/health-worker-burnout/index.html

[icedcoffee]

This is great! Loneliness is a concern and being exacerbated by all the WFH. I know I feel it badly and I'm a homebody. But lately...I just want a group of girlfriends to go out with, but every time I've tried to organize something it either gets cancelled or it's impossible to find a date. IDK. I love my family, but I need something more.

[noodleoo]

This reminded me of an article I read a few months ago about the value of "weak ties", social interactions with people that aren't close friends/family. So like neighbors, coworkers, workers at places you frequent, or other acquaintances you see on a regular basis and might make small talk with. A study showed that interacting with weak ties often made people feel happier. It struck me that with the rise of people WFH, a lot of those weak ties will be lost. So many changes in the last few years have really affected our social relationships.

Here's an article about it (not the one I read, but same idea):
www.nytimes.com/2023/04/22/health/seniors-acquaintances-happiness.html

[StrawberryBlondie]

May 2, 2023 12:51:55 GMT -5 mpm said:

May 2, 2023 12:40:23 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

IDK it sounds like you're essentially saying "who cares about loneliness when there are people who have cancer!?"

I mean… yeah, I guess I’d rather be lonely than have cancer, if you want to put it that way.

But loneliness is affected by so many other elements of our crumbling US systems. Having cancer and supporting a loved one through cancer treatment or other diagnosis is lonely because we don’t have sufficient paid time off in this country to allow people to deal with a loved one’s medical crisis. Having @@

SPOILER: Click to show

kids in this country is lonely because we don’t offer parents sufficient time off or societal supports to raise a family.

. Employers require more and more of employee’s time, leaving less and less time for social connections. We’re ignoring a pandemic and giving at-risk individuals no choice but isolation. Loneliness has systemic roots, and if we’re not working to correct those systemic issues too, the launching a “loneliness” campaign sounds like lip service akin to a corporate wellness campaign.

So if we can't tackle it all at once there's nothing of value in addressing a chunk?

I mean, I get that we probably just have a fundamental disagreement about what's important here but the idea that we can't acknowledge that loneliness is actually a huge issue that needs to be addressed unless/until we fix much larger systemic issues is bonkers to me.

[docholly]

May 2, 2023 12:51:55 GMT -5 mpm said:

May 2, 2023 12:40:23 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

IDK it sounds like you're essentially saying "who cares about loneliness when there are people who have cancer!?"

I mean… yeah, I guess I’d rather be lonely than have cancer, if you want to put it that way.

But loneliness is affected by so many other elements of our crumbling US systems. Having cancer and supporting a loved one through cancer treatment or other diagnosis is lonely because we don’t have sufficient paid time off in this country to allow people to deal with a loved one’s medical crisis. Having @@

SPOILER: Click to show

kids in this country is lonely because we don’t offer parents sufficient time off or societal supports to raise a family.

. Employers require more and more of employee’s time, leaving less and less time for social connections. We’re ignoring a pandemic and giving at-risk individuals no choice but isolation. Loneliness has systemic roots, and if we’re not working to correct those systemic issues too, the launching a “loneliness” campaign sounds like lip service akin to a corporate wellness campaign.

But, the campaign specifically calls for investment in areas that will help cull systemic causes of loneliness.

While all that is going to take the allocation of money which is an uphill battle, the six pillars mentioned in the article do acknowledge that you can’t just say, “hey, everyone, call a friend today.” It’s a start.

[bronxgirl]

May 2, 2023 12:38:00 GMT -5 mpm said:

May 2, 2023 12:18:24 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

This sounds really dismissive of mental health.

I think mental health is extremely important, but can’t be addressed in a vacuum. So much of mental health is also related to other issues that we aren’t working hard enough to address.

Obviously you don't. Your comments are hurtful and gross and indicate a huge level of misunderstanding about what mental health treatment entails and why it is so important. Stop. Just stop.

[bronxgirl]

May 2, 2023 12:34:12 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

We have noticed a spike in attendance in our (free) programs for all ages, but particularly for adults (younger *and* older). We offer not just book discussion groups and talks, but arts and gaming programs for adults are really booming with demand too. At first we just thought it was because of the pandemic emergency subsiding to a large degree, which I'm sure is part of it, but many adults are being really honest and saying they're there to also make friends, or just want to be around other people doing fun things because they live alone, etc. I'm glad there is more conversation around this.

It's also sad to think that we looked at technology as the way to connect with people all over, and of course we do that, but it also doesn't combat loneliness. Perhaps it exacerbates it, I don't know.

One of my frequent suggestions to my patients on how to decrease social isolation (and the detrimental emotional and functional results) is to spend time in public places like libraries. It's a free community resource and a safe, low-stress chance to be around other people without being pressured to interact. Free programs are a great bonus. This came up in one of my sessions today and several patients stated that they thought this could be a good place for them to start and a realistic goal. Libraries are invaluable to communities. Thank you for everything that you do.

[Deleted]

As an introvert, I find this kind of fascinating. While loneliness isn’t a problem for me (in fact I often crave it!) it’s definitely an issue for a lot of people, and the lack of connection drives all kinds of other societal problems.

At the beginning of COVID isolation, I remember having a conversation with an introvert coworker after a week of WFH, and we were doing great. Then an extrovert coworker came in after a week of isolation and it was clear that he was struggling. He reminded us to “Check in on your extrovert friends, we are NOT OKAY.”

So yeah, I think society as a whole could use a collective reminder to check in on people who ARE NOT OKAY.

[tiramisu]

As another mental health professional who works in emergency community mental health, I have definitely seen the impact loneliness has on people and their mental health. We know that it can contribute to or exacerbate depression, anxiety, stress, and maladaptive coping mechanisms. We've seen that increased social connection can be a protective factor against substance abuse. We know that senses of belonging and meaningfulness help improve people's mental health. Also, there's the impact of people never getting hugs or reassuring physical contact of any kind. All of these things compound. I'm really glad this is something the surgeon general is addressing.

[AJL]

I think this is huge and I'm so glad to see it being addressed at this level. I mean, fuck! I'M lonely and I'm in grad school, around classmates and colleagues most of the week, have a full house of family, and different social outlets I can participate in. But being around people isn't the same as being connected to people. Loneliness is a condition of lost connection.

We, as a society, have lost connection to each other in so many ways. We've replaced it with connection through a computer screen and social media. We are trying to keep our heads above water on the daily, trying to survive in an ever negative and late stage capitalist world. We're weary and isolated. This isn't how we're meant to thrive as humans. 

And, to mpm , this isn't a new issue. Our society has been trying to find a solution to our disconnection and loneliness for a very long time. Check out the book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of the American Community. It was published 20+ years ago. We're still struggling. 

[chilerellanos]

@@@ mention


This is great.

I left my husband in 2018, and just as I was starting to feel ready to socialize more Covid hit, and I’m a nurse, so I was working so much overtime. So yeah, I was seeing people but I was so so so lonely. My family had moved away. I was working all the time. My friends were working all the time and overwhelmed with balancing work and homeschooling their kids, and there was no way I could even think of dating in that atmosphere.

I was…. Very lonely and very depressed and definitely had suicidal thoughts.

My 17 yo has really struggled with socialization since Covid.

And we are young, healthy people. Imagine the people who are literally shut in their houses.

It’s a pretty big deal and I do think an important thing to focus on.

[pixy0stix]

To address "why is this coming out now" it's Mental Health Awareness month. So yeah, we're going to get topics that specifically address mental health.

[Deleted]

One factor that I haven’t seen yet is the way isolated and lonely people are targeted and recruited by extremists. Think of all the people who find “connection” in online extremist communities and turn to extreme ideologies. Some of these people go on to become incels, commit domestic violence, shoot up schools or other public areas, or commit other acts of domestic terrorism or espionage. Addressing loneliness not only has tremendously valuable individual impacts, but can have a positive impact on our society.

[wildrice]

May 2, 2023 11:48:00 GMT -5 mpm said:

The surgeon general’s media messages sound like corporate wellness initiatives.

Gun violence
Shrinking life expectancy
Heart disease
Maternal mortality
Racial inequities in health outcomes
Diabetes
Food insecurity
Childhood cancer
Covid

Nope. Let’s go with loneliness.

Gun violence - many mass shooters have been described as loners or people who are struggling socially. Happy, fulfilled people don't often inflict violence on others.

Shrinking life expectancy - loneliness and related health issues can impact life expectancy, including risk of suicide. Specifically mentioned as an outcome in the OP

Heart disease - Specifically mentioned as an outcome of loneliness in the OP

Maternal mortality - I don't want to speculate on this since I've not heard of a direct connection to mental health on this one, though people often feel very isolated after the birth of their child and that can negatively impact their recovery/long term wellness

Racial inequities in health outcomes - can impact mental health/good support can help lessen the impact of racism on a person's wellbeing. 

Diabetes - specifically mentioned as an outcome in the OP

Food insecurity - people struggling with mental health problems have a more difficult time holding a job or working the same number of hours as someone who is healthy, and loss of income is a major source of food insecurity.

Childhood cancer - can be incredibly difficult for families to deal with without social support

Covid - if someone has other risk factors such as those above, they are more likely to get sicker from COVID

[melmaria]

May 2, 2023 13:11:06 GMT -5 bronxgirl said:

May 2, 2023 12:38:00 GMT -5 mpm said:

I think mental health is extremely important, but can’t be addressed in a vacuum. So much of mental health is also related to other issues that we aren’t working hard enough to address.

Obviously you don't. Your comments are hurtful and gross and indicate a huge level of misunderstanding about what mental health treatment entails and why it is so important. Stop. Just stop.

Thank you for this.

There’s a lot more I’d like to say but I don’t have the time to post here very much anymore and it would probably just result in me getting kicked off the boards lol.

[mpm]

May 2, 2023 19:07:59 GMT -5 wildrice said:

May 2, 2023 11:48:00 GMT -5 mpm said:

The surgeon general’s media messages sound like corporate wellness initiatives.

Gun violence
Shrinking life expectancy
Heart disease
Maternal mortality
Racial inequities in health outcomes
Diabetes
Food insecurity
Childhood cancer
Covid

Nope. Let’s go with loneliness.

Gun violence - many mass shooters have been described as loners or people who are struggling socially. Happy, fulfilled people don't often inflict violence on others.

Shrinking life expectancy - loneliness and related health issues can impact life expectancy, including risk of suicide. Specifically mentioned as an outcome in the OP

Heart disease - Specifically mentioned as an outcome of loneliness in the OP

Maternal mortality - I don't want to speculate on this since I've not heard of a direct connection to mental health on this one, though women often feel very isolated after the birth of their child and that can negatively impact their recovery/long term wellness

Racial inequities in health outcomes - can impact mental health/good support can help lessen the impact of racism on a person's wellbeing. 

Diabetes - specifically mentioned as an outcome in the OP

Food insecurity - people struggling with mental health problems have a more difficult time holding a job or working the same number of hours as someone who is healthy, and loss of income is a major source of food insecurity.

Childhood cancer - can be incredibly difficult for families to deal with without social support

Covid - if someone has other risk factors such as those above, they are more likely to get sicker from COVID

Did you not read my next response? That’s the point I was trying to make in it, that I hope we fix many of those other systemic issues rather than trying to treat loneliness as a stand-alone problem. IMO, it’s bigger than that.

[wildrice]

May 2, 2023 19:44:18 GMT -5 mpm said:

May 2, 2023 19:07:59 GMT -5 wildrice said:

Gun violence - many mass shooters have been described as loners or people who are struggling socially. Happy, fulfilled people don't often inflict violence on others.

Shrinking life expectancy - loneliness and related health issues can impact life expectancy, including risk of suicide. Specifically mentioned as an outcome in the OP

Heart disease - Specifically mentioned as an outcome of loneliness in the OP

Maternal mortality - I don't want to speculate on this since I've not heard of a direct connection to mental health on this one, though women often feel very isolated after the birth of their child and that can negatively impact their recovery/long term wellness

Racial inequities in health outcomes - can impact mental health/good support can help lessen the impact of racism on a person's wellbeing. 

Diabetes - specifically mentioned as an outcome in the OP

Food insecurity - people struggling with mental health problems have a more difficult time holding a job or working the same number of hours as someone who is healthy, and loss of income is a major source of food insecurity.

Childhood cancer - can be incredibly difficult for families to deal with without social support

Covid - if someone has other risk factors such as those above, they are more likely to get sicker from COVID

Did you not read my next response? That’s the point I was trying to make in it, that I hope we fix many of those other systemic issues rather than trying to treat loneliness as a stand-alone problem. IMO, it’s bigger than that.

My point is that it's not a stand alone issue but if you want to improve a lot of issues at once, it's a decent start to pick a factor that is a contributor to so many different things. It's certainly not the ONLY thing impacting everything else, but that doesn't make it a bad idea to try to do something about it.

[meganew]

May 2, 2023 19:44:18 GMT -5 mpm said:

May 2, 2023 19:07:59 GMT -5 wildrice said:

Gun violence - many mass shooters have been described as loners or people who are struggling socially. Happy, fulfilled people don't often inflict violence on others.

Shrinking life expectancy - loneliness and related health issues can impact life expectancy, including risk of suicide. Specifically mentioned as an outcome in the OP

Heart disease - Specifically mentioned as an outcome of loneliness in the OP

Maternal mortality - I don't want to speculate on this since I've not heard of a direct connection to mental health on this one, though women often feel very isolated after the birth of their child and that can negatively impact their recovery/long term wellness

Racial inequities in health outcomes - can impact mental health/good support can help lessen the impact of racism on a person's wellbeing. 

Diabetes - specifically mentioned as an outcome in the OP

Food insecurity - people struggling with mental health problems have a more difficult time holding a job or working the same number of hours as someone who is healthy, and loss of income is a major source of food insecurity.

Childhood cancer - can be incredibly difficult for families to deal with without social support

Covid - if someone has other risk factors such as those above, they are more likely to get sicker from COVID

Did you not read my next response? That’s the point I was trying to make in it, that I hope we fix many of those other systemic issues rather than trying to treat loneliness as a stand-alone problem. IMO, it’s bigger than that.

Did you not ready any of the other responses to you in this thread? Or are you just hell bent on being obtuse today?