America’s Top Doctor Declares Loneliness as an Epidemic | “Build More Connected Lives & More Connected Society”

Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of depression and anxiety that some readers may find distressing.

The most recent public health epidemics have been identified as loneliness and social isolation. US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, in a public advisory, recently urged people to "build more connected lives and a more connected society" in a new 81-page advisory notice that was published on May 2, per PEOPLE. He said that the impact on a human who is socially disconnected is quite similar to having smoked 15 cigarettes a day.

What is loneliness?

He suggests that loneliness is not just a bad feeling as it harms the individual as well as the society. It leads to several physical health complications like a greater risk of cardiovascular diseases, heart strokes, dementia, depression, anxiety, and premature death.

What are the effects of loneliness?

Murthy found that social isolation and loneliness both raised the chance of dying young by 26% and 29%, respectively, with one in two persons reporting experiencing loneliness recently. Adding to this, the inability to create and maintain social connections is linked with an increased risk of disease, as it takes the chance of heart disease to 29% and the chance of having a stroke to 32%. People who have "poor or insufficient social connection" are more likely to have anxiety, depression, or physical manifestations such as infections and respiratory ailments.

Why is social connection necessary?

"Social connection is a fundamental human need, as essential to survival as food, water, and shelter," stressed Murthy. He also added that the ability of humans to rely on each other has been crucial to their survival throughout history. The same is true even in modern times as humans are wired biologically to seek social connections and to expect close proximity from other humans.

How can one tackle loneliness?

To overcome this, Murthy has urged people to "take small steps" each day to improve their interpersonal connections. This can rebuild lives and communities that are way happier and healthier. This also ensures that the world is better poised to tackle the challenges coming up owing to exponential growth, he stated.

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy even shared that he was among the millions of Americans who experienced a "profound loneliness," per the BBC. US health experts are urging that social isolation be given the same severe consideration as drug use or obesity. Most Americans—approximately 50%—are believed to have been impacted.

Murthy also talked about his own struggles with loneliness during and immediately after he completed his first term as Surgeon General in April 2017. He started to neglect his family and friends at the time, thinking to focus more on his work. He did suffer from the consequences of that later in the form of a profound sense of loneliness that lasted for weeks and months.

Murthy stressed that loneliness is a "profound public health challenge" that should be talked about and addressed. It might be surprising in a way to learn that the risk of premature death increases as there are fewer social connections.

References:

https://people.com/health/surgeon-general-issues-public-advisory-notice-about-loneliness-and-social-isolation/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65461723

Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | Djordje Vezilic