Experts have long been concerned about loneliness in America, and lockdowns have made the epidemic worse
Driving around her Kearney, Missouri neighborhood is both respite and torture for Kathie Hodgson. She likes seeing other people out and about; it reminds her what life was like before COVID-19. But Hodgson, a 41-year-old teacher who lives alone after a recent divorce, says seeing happy families playing in their yards or walking their dogs can also send her plunging deep into a spiral of loneliness.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, public-health experts were concerned about an epidemic of loneliness in the U.S. The coronavirus has exacerbated that problem, with most face-to-face socializing for people still under lockdown orders indefinitely limited to members of their own households. For the 35.7 million Americans who live alone, that means no meaningful social contact at all, potentially for months on end.
It can also be difficult to untangle whether loneliness is a symptom or a cause of a larger health issue: does someone withdraw socially because they’re depressed, or do they become depressed because they’re lonely? In any case, studies show chronic loneliness has clear links to an array of health problems, including dementia, depression, anxiety, self-harm, heart conditions and substance abuse.
“Even in a house full of screaming children who I love more than anything, I find that I feel especially vulnerable,” Gladow says. She feels an unspoken pressure “to be the glue of the family, and I’m trying not to let them down, but in the process I’m crumbling.” There are also community groups attempting to make digital communication more meaningful. Some existed before COVID-19 but have expanded to meet surging demand, like Let’s Be Authentic, a Philadelphia-area social group that pairs up members for weekly video chats and communication exercises. It has seen a noticeable uptick in use of its online programs, a company representative says.
But with few other options available, people should probably make the best of virtual platforms, says Rudolph Tanzi, vice chair of neurology and director of the genetics and aging research unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. Stress related to loneliness can trigger inflammation in the body, he says, which in turn is linked to a host of chronic conditions.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'It's gone haywire': When COVID-19 arrived in rural AmericaCOVID-19 arrived in poor counties in rural Georgia already suffering from extraordinary inequality that left them sicker and more vulnerable to the virus. “It’s like our worst nightmare coming true,” an epidemiologist said.
Read more »
'It's gone haywire': When COVID-19 arrived in rural AmericaCOVID-19 arrived in poor counties in rural Georgia already suffering from extraordinary inequality that left them sicker and more vulnerable to the virus. “It’s like our worst nightmare coming true,” an epidemiologist said.
Read more »
6 Reasons Why COVID-19 Is Nothing Like the FluCOVID-19 and the flu are entirely different illnesses. Here's why we need to start treating them that way, says nathanlents
Read more »
Coronavirus updates: 64 kids hospitalized with disease possibly related to COVID-19'When we do have that moment of 'hello' again, it is the best moment ever.' A nurse who was on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York says she cried when an extubated patient woke up, saying, 'we didn’t know that this would happen.'
Read more »
Teacher who went viral for memorizing 75 handshakes beats COVID-19David Jamison inspired nearly 1 million on Twitter after he memorized 75 individual handshakes with each of his students. Now, he shares his experience beating COVID-19.
Read more »
Officials Investigating Multiple COVID-19 Deaths At Massachusetts Soldiers' HomeAt least 71 veterans have died from the coronavirus at a state-run nursing home in Massachusetts. Staff say management withheld personal protective equipment and made little effort to isolate residents.
Read more »