Loneliness occurs when the connections a person needs are greater than what they have. Not everyone feels it the same way or for the same reason.

America has a new epidemic. It can’t be treated using traditional therapies even though it has debilitating and even deadly consequences.

The problem seeping in at the corners of our communities is loneliness and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is hoping to generate awareness and offer remedies before it claims more lives.

“Most of us probably think of loneliness as just a bad feeling,” he told USA TODAY. “It turns out that loneliness has far greater implications for our health when we struggle with a sense of social disconnection, being lonely or isolated.”

Loneliness is detrimental to mental and physical health, experts say, leading to an increased risk of heart disease, dementia, stroke and premature death. As researchers track record levels of self-reported loneliness, public health leaders are banding together to develop a public health framework to address the epidemic.

  • ipkpjersi
    2·
    6 months ago

    That’s why I’m glad I have friends I talk to every day, even if just online, and online communities I participate in, like through Lemmy or through Discord. It does help to stay connected to others.

    • LemmyHead
      1·
      6 months ago

      You do get quality experiences from that? I feel most online communication platforms nowadays are basically “post and don’t look back” or “comment once and bye”. Before we had more dominantly forums where topics were discussed over a long period and even between the same people, and you’d easily recognize and connect with people. Lemmy (and reddit) also falls in the first category: you hardly make any connections and topics get abandoned after they disappeared from the front page.

      • thedirtyknapkin@lemmy.world
        3·
        6 months ago

        that’s what discord is nice for. I’ve got a group that talks in voice almost every day. we just hang out after work, play a game or two, talk about life. the classic stuff.

      • ipkpjersi
        2·
        6 months ago

        I’ve had some in-depth conversations through Lemmy and Discord, and even group voice chat gaming with friends through Discord. I can get meaningful communication experiences through these platforms IMO, yeah.