One of the key symptoms of clinical depression is a feeling of loneliness and sadness. That loneliness can contribute to poor mental health is well documented, but it is important not to ignore the other side of the coin: that poor mental health can be the cause of increased loneliness and isolation, both subjectively and actually.
Loneliness can have a significant impact on our mental health – The University Herald reported that a study by the University of Chicago found loneliness to be linked to disrupted sleep, increases in the stress hormone cortisol and an overall perceived lowering in general well-being.
It also suggests that loneliness can contribute to rarer mental health conditions such as schizophrenia. The mental health charity Mind report that being lonely can add to mental health issues such as depression, loneliness and anxiety. Loneliness is a key theme on our forums – people who feel alone find it harder to combat suicidal urges and deal with mental illness. Sometimes you can feel alone no matter how many people there are with you. It is not just being alone that is a significant risk to ongoing good health just feeling uncared for, unheard and unsupported can be almost as dangerous as actually being isolated. Spending too much time alone, particularly if that time is not filled with rewarding distractions, often leads to fatalistic thinking and philosophizing that, in turn, lead to damaging thought patterns. In addition to this, a lack of accountability to people who care about you and your welfare can mean that self destructive urges that are usually curbed by fear of worrying or upsetting loved ones can get completely out of control.Īccording to a study by Brigham Young University, the subjective feeling of loneliness – that is to say feeling alone whether or not you are, in fact, alone – can increase the chance of death by 26%. Research is reported to show that people who have no social supports and who feel alone have as greater increased risk of early death as alcoholic, while succeeding in making friends can be as good for our health as giving up smoking. For the lucky many, loneliness is a fleeting feeling but for those who cannot find the escape hatch, loneliness can be a terrible, and fatal, trap.
Mother Theresa once said “The biggest disease today is not leprosy or cancer or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted, uncared for and deserted by everybody.” That loneliness is devastating is not new information everyone who has felt alone understands how painful it can be. Loneliness can kill - reclaim your life with our community
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