Mental health and loneliness are connected, according to current research. Feeling lonely isn’t necessarily a sign of a mental health issue, but the two are closely related, according to www.mind.org.uk. Your likelihood of experiencing loneliness may rise if you have a mental health issue.

You can find it challenging to discuss your issues with some people since they may not understand certain mental health issues . You might also struggle to participate in common social activities if you have social anxiety or social phobia, which could prevent you from making meaningful social connections and make you feel lonely.

We all experience loneliness occasionally. However, because every individual experiences loneliness differently, it is impossible for us to generalize about how loneliness affects people as a whole.

Our need for acknowledgement and interactions with other people going unmet is one way to describe loneliness.

We must distinguish between being by ourselves, or alone, and loneliness. There are times when we choose to be alone and we don’t feel lonely at all. On the other hand, loneliness might exist amid a throng if we have no social connection to anyone there.

In accordance with the British Journal of Mental Health Nursing, loneliness is a complex problem. It usually consists of stress, anxiousness, and the sensation of not being able to connect with or communicate with other individuals. It is a reaction to long-term social and emotional isolation. Individual differences in physical, social, emotional and mental physical aspects are among the causes of loneliness.

The Crucial Question Regarding Loneliness And Mental Health

Does being lonely influence our mental health, or does having a mental health issue affect our loneliness? That is the question that looms over the relationship between mental health and loneliness the most. It depends on the patient being treated, but the answer appears to be yes on both counts. The relationship between the two is the only thing that is certain.

Though loneliness itself is not a sign of a mental health issue, the two are strongly related, according to mind.org.uk. Your likelihood of being lonely increases significantly if you have a mental health issue.

Your mental health may suffer if you feel isolated. This is particularly true if you’ve had a protracted time of loneliness. As a result of loneliness, many mental health issues manifest.

Mental Health Issues Caused by Loneliness

Depression

Worry

Low Self Esteem

Anxiety

Sleep Problems

Increased Stress

Suicidal Thoughts

According to one study, lonely people are more likely to have sleep issues, feel more stressed out, and have cognitive decline (According to the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe, loneliness increases the risk of cognitive impairment. Ji Hyun Lee, Yannick Stephan, Damaris Aschwanden, Martina Luchetti, Antonio Terracciano, and Angelina R. Sutin)

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“Social isolation was related with nearly a 50% greater risk of dementia,” the Centers for Disease Control reported. According to one idea, loneliness causes long-term stress, which harms the brain. When under stress, the body releases toxic chemicals like cortisol, which can injure brain tissue and create inflammation. Dementia and cognitive deterioration have been linked to this inflammation.

Loneliness Factors

• Suffering a loss of a loved one.

A big hole might be left in your life after the passing of a loved one. If you have experienced this, and most adults have, you know how terrible it is to work through.

• Going through a breakup in a relationship.

Most of us have been here before. It can be heart-wrenching.

• Retiring and cutting off social ties with coworkers.

I just went through this. I can attest to it being very darn lonely indeed. A couple of years later, and I still miss my coworkers.

• Beginning a new job and being unfamiliar with your coworkers.

“New guy” syndrome. I went through this a lot in my professional career, and mostly as the new boss. Not a lot of buddies on hand doing that.

• Attitudes and thoughts.

Loneliness may be caused by how we view ourselves and the world.

• A lack of close connections.

You can be friendly with people you know, without having an actual friend. NOT the same, not by a longshot.

• The absence of routine social engagement.

Going for a drink after work with the gang after work on a Friday is definitely underrated.

• Disease or the beginning of a new disability.

Been there ,done that, bought the tshirt. Talk about a feeling of being alone when you turn out the light at night. It’s just you and your disease, and no matter how people try to help you through it, you are alone.

• Empty nest disorder.

Uggh, suffered through that one a few years ago. We still miss our daughter (who misses us I’m sure , but she is busy in her new relationship and professional life, so we are background noise for much of the time now).

• Relocating, especially if it means being separated from family.

I took a new job when I was in my early twenties and I moved four hours away from home. Didn’t know a soul, and I was lonely, even when I found some new friends, I missed home.

• Pandemics, such as Covid-19

and the shelter-in-place orders that followed, which caused individuals. In 2020, 36% of Americans reported experiencing “severe loneliness,” according to Harvard Health.

• Being separated from family.

Left home for sports when i was 18, for work when I was 22, and have lived hours away from home for my entire adult life. My choice, but a sacrifice that I was and am aware of. I missed a lot of time with my siblings and parents that I will never recoup.

• Excessive use of social media.

Can be fun and a way to connect, but can just as easily be a big waste of time. It should all be burned, or better regulated. NO way social media replaces real relationships, and only is a partial supplement, at best.

Social Impacts

Many people experience emotions of loneliness over the holidays, and loneliness can also arise on the anniversary of a difficult moment in your life.

According to some studies, certain organizations or situations may make people more vulnerable to loneliness. This is especially true for those who are elderly and lack a strong support network of family members or close friends, or who are estranged from their family. This also applies to those who find it difficult to maintain a social life due to being a single parent or caretaker for others.

People who are unable to attend social gatherings because of a lack of funds or transportation challenges may also be lonely. They tend to lose hope of developing a genuine connection once these factors accumulate or have a significant impact on a person. The more times it occurs, the more isolated a person becomes. If this continues for a long time, mental health issues may develop, endangering the person’s wellbeing.

Final Reflections

Any of the previously described mental health issues, alone or in combination, can lead someone to self-harm or even attempted suicide (Centers For Disease Control).
Therefore, it is crucial that you get assistance as soon as you become aware of these issues. Reach out and attempt to help the person if you notice they are enduring prolonged loneliness.