Hidden epidemic Action needed over loneliness

LONELINESS is one of the most harmful conditions afflicting society, and all the harder to address for being hidden and often overlooked.

This newspaper’s campaign to highlight the problem has done much to help give it the attention that it deserves.

Disturbingly, however, the epidemic of loneliness shows every sign of getting worse as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Today’s report by the Campaign to End Loneliness spells out how harmful lockdowns and isolation have proved for those already struggling.

Women and the poor are amongst those hardest hit, with the loss of jobs or falling ill aggravating their sense of isolation.

Throughout the pandemic, there have been warnings that one of its grimmest legacies will be a surge in mental health problems, and the findings of today’s study are an indication of that happening.

The figures are staggering, with 3.7 million people across the country saying they feel lonely – an increase of a million in little over a year.

There is an urgent need to tackle this hidden epidemic. People who are isolated and vulnerable cannot simply be left to cope on their own as best they can, for there is a risk that some may take their own lives. That is, tragically, where loneliness can lead.

The Government should heed the campaign’s call to provide sufficient funding for support services and the creation of better community facilities where people can meet.

And for the rest of us, we have our part to play in trying to combat loneliness