Loneliness: Why is it Important to Address?

Khulood Al Asmawi Clinical Psychologist MSc.

Loneliness is a subjective experience where individuals feel a mismatch between social relationships that they desire to have, and what they actually have. This can be an emotionally painful experience for people who feel like they lack good quantity and quality relationships. Lonely people often feel like they are not understood by others and lack companionship. It is not the same thing as choosing to be alone; people can feel lonely when they are alone, but also whilst they are surrounded by others. Individuals aged 16-25 and older adults (65+) are at a higher risk of being lonely.

There has been a growing interest in loneliness with increased media attention because of its social and public health concern. It is now more likely to be exacerbated due to the current global pandemic. There are many negative effects that loneliness can have on a person’s health. Some of which include; increased risk in cardiovascular morbidity; including hypertension, impaired immune function and premature mortality. Lonely people are also at higher risk of suicidal ideation and poor mental health outcomes.

Loneliness is a common and debilitating problem in people with mental health difficulties. Research has shown that people with mental health problems are more likely to be experiencing higher levels of loneliness than people without mental health problems. Some evidence suggests loneliness may typically be more severe for some types of mental health conditions than others, but how and why loneliness differs across different mental health groups is not well understood. There is also no current strong evidence about the best ways to reduce loneliness. It is important to understand loneliness and the factors associated with it, in order to learn how to tackle it.

A recent study aimed to investigate loneliness in three important mental health groups and explore if different factors could help explain their levels of loneliness. These mental health groups included people with; psychosis, personality disorders, and common mental disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety, OCD). They filled out questionnaires that measured loneliness, and also rated different factors which previous research suggested can contribute to loneliness.

These different factors included;  Affective symptoms: Feelings of depression, anxiety, guilt, and somatic or physical symptoms).  Social Isolation: Lack of social relationships in different social settings, for example, in an individual, group, community, or large social environments.  Perceived Discrimination: Feeling judged and being treated unfairly because of an individual’s mental health difficulties.  Self- stigma: Believing negative stereotypes about their own mental health problems and stopping themselves from doing things they would otherwise enjoy.

Individuals with personality disorders and common mental disorders had similar levels of loneliness, and on average both these groups had higher loneliness than for people with psychosis. They found that out of all the psychological and social factors perceived discrimination and self-stigma explained a lot of the differences in their levels of loneliness. This might mean that the reality of discrimination and stigma might make individuals feel like ‘outsiders’ and experience loneliness, even if they maintain social contacts. Interestingly, there was still some differences in levels of loneliness between mental health groups after taking into account all factors, which means that people with different mental health problems might experience loneliness differently.

The findings from this recent study could be used to help inform and develop ways to reduce loneliness, which consequently would improve mental health outcomes. It might be important to target self-stigma and perceived discrimination as ways to reduce loneliness. It also suggests that personalised approaches to reducing loneliness are most likely to be beneficial.

Tips on how anyone can reduce mental health stigma and discrimination:  Have a conversation about mental health: speaking about mental health and what is can help people feel like they are not alone.  Supporting a friend or loved one: listening to them, help them out with practical chores, and encourage seeking a mental health professional.  Tell your story: Telling your story to a trusted friend, family member or mental health professional can help to normalise your difficulties.  Challenge stigmatising media and coverage.  Avoid misusing mental health terms (such as; “Stop being so bipolar” or “You are so OCD”), which can reinforce misconceptions.

Tips on managing loneliness during Covid-19:  Creating a schedule: maintaining a schedule can help structure your days and give you a sense of stability and safeness.  Connect with friends and family: Find meaningful social connections by doing what makes you comfortable. This can be through online communication platforms or through physically-distanced meet ups.  Connect with yourself: Take an online course, explore creative outlets, find your sources of comfort.  Being outside in nature.  Finding movement and staying physically active.  Be kind to yourself. Validate your emotions and acknowledge this is a difficult time. Practice self-compassion at every step.  Reach out for help if you find yourself struggling with your mental health during this time.

References:

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Artwork: “Shoulder” by Ruxeena