Loneliness ‘worse than diabetes’ in America

The link between loneliness and public health may not be readily apparent to many, but it is to US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who says loneliness and isolation are pervasive among American children, young parents and others whose lives appear to be filled with the presence of others.

‘‘This is a broader crisis,’’ Murthy said. ‘‘As I dug into the research and the data on it, I came to realise that we have more people who struggle with loneliness in our country than have diabetes.’’

Murthy said research had shown that loneliness was associated with an increased risk of both physical and mental health illnesses, from anxiety and depression to premature death, dementia and heart disease.

‘‘Yet we don’t really think of it as a public health concern. We think about loneliness as just a bad feeling we’ve got to figure out or put up with. The reality is it’s much more than that.

‘‘It’s a warning signal that’s similar to hunger or thirst that tells us when something we need that’s critical for our survival is missing, and in this case it’s social connection.’’

Murthy said social connections and trusted relationships were the bedrock of societies and imperative for public health efforts to succeed.

‘‘If we don’t have a community where people feel connected to one another, where they trust one another, then all of those resources will have limited impact.’’

He pointed to the example of Covid19 vaccines, which have been proven to reduce the severity of the disease, keep infected people out of hospital, and save lives.

‘‘There’s so much misinformation that has flowed throughout society, often on social media platforms, that many people are confused and they don’t know who to trust any more . . . This is where the breakdown of relationships and community starts to hurt us.’’

Murthy also said his office was working on ‘‘a blueprint’’ to address health care worker burnout, and he wanted people to understand the consequences of so many doctors, nurses, therapists and others quitting the profession.

‘‘More and more people are finding it harder and harder to get care . . . not just for Covid but for routine medical appointments.’’