Our theme this month is the effects of loneliness on health and well being, as loneliness is actually a very serious problem to good health, whereas a shift has occurred that views loneliness not just as a social problem, but rather, a “public health crisis” (Shulevitz, 2013), especially given that more people grow older, but not necessarily with good social contacts, friendships or families near-by (Perry, n.d).
Last week, we discussed the effects of loneliness on blood pressure (http://focusedsolutionsconsulting.com/?p=657) and this week’s focus of the effects of loneliness will be on depression. This is not just to help empower those who are lonely, but also to possibly encourage those who know a person who is not just alone, but lonely, to maybe reach out and make a positive difference in the live of the widow or widower down the street, or the military spouse whose husband or wife is gone for a prolonged period of time. This is also a kind reminder for those who work with others in social and human services, to think about treatment in a holistic sense, a treatment that does not just account for healing and treating the physical symptoms, but to also look at the whole picture of what is happening in a person’s life, which actually might not only improve quality of life, but safe a life.
Perry (n.d) states that while some lonely people might think they are fine, they are actually not, as they might be suffering with depression secondary to loneliness. According to a publication by the Mayo Clinic (2015), symptoms / criteria for various types of depression vary, and they include feelings of sadness, loss of interest in activities, weight loss or weight gain, difficulty sleeping, lack if energy and tiredness, negative self-though and suicidal ideation among others.
Depression secondary to loneliness or social isolation can be helped though, through social contacts and friendships and meaningful relationships with others (Solomon, 2014) , remedies that do not cost much (except for a bit of time) and do not require medication, that would most likely not treat the causes of depression in lonely people in the first place.
So, again, if you know of someone, especially someone older who has experienced a major loss in their life, please reach out, give a bit of your time and help mitigate the loneliness, bring something positive to them, YOU, because you really can make the difference between health and disease and really, life and death.
References:
Mayo Clinic (2015). Depression. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/basics/tests-diagnosis/con-20032977
Perry, P. (n.d). Loneliness is killing us – we must start treating this disease. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/17/loneliness-report-bigger-killer-obesity-lonely-people
Shelevitz, J. (2013). The Lethality of Loneliness. New Republic. http://www.newrepublic.com/article/113176/science-loneliness-how-isolation-can-kill-you
Solomon, A. (2014). Depression is a Disease of Loneliness. http://andrewsolomon.com/articles/depression-is-a-disease-of-loneliness/