'Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation': US surgeon general points to the importance of social connection

Heart attacks, diabetes, murderers, and even depression are threats to life everyone knows about, but as per the US surgeon general, there's an 'epidemic' that's silently killing people in the US.

Vivek Murthy, the United States surgeon general on Tuesday (May 2nd) released an advisory on loneliness and isolation, silent killers that are affecting thousands of people in the country.

He urged the people as well as public officials to treat the matter with the same urgency that is given to other serious conditions like drug abuse.

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As per Murthy, loneliness is affecting about half the people living in the US.

"Right now, millions of people are telling us through their stories and statistics that their tank is running on empty when it comes to social connection," he said, adding that it needs to be a public health priority.

"So bottom line is this has to be a public health priority that we consider on par with tobacco, with substance use disorders, with obesity and other issues that we know profoundly impacted people's lives."

In his advisory, Murthy says that while the issue has been there for decades, the pandemic has brought it to the forefront.The bomb has been ticking since the 1970s; people's attachment to their local community is on a decline.

"Research produced by Gallup, Pew Research Centre, and the National Opinion Research Center’s General Social Survey demonstrates that since the 1970s, religious preference, affiliation, and participation among US adults have declined," says the advisory.

It further cites polls from the 1970s wherein 45 per cent of Americans said they can trust their fellow countrymen, by 2016, this number fell to 30 per cent.

The advisory suggests that some particular groups are more at risk than others.

"Studies find the highest prevalence of loneliness and isolation among people withpoor physical or mental health, disabilities, financial insecurity, those who live alone, single parents, as well as younger and older populations."

Additionally, "individuals from ethnic and racial minority groups, LGBTQ+ individuals, rural residents, victims of domestic violence, and those who experience discrimination or marginalisation."

As per Murthy's advisory, "youngadults are almost twice as likely to report feeling lonely than those over 65." Between 1976 and 2019, the rate of loneliness among young adults has increased every year.

One reason behind this influx in isolation and loneliness could be people's growing dependence on technology.

Americans on average spend six hours a day on digital media, and one in three said they are online "almost constantly."

The lack of connection, according to the Guardian report quoting the Kaiser Family Foundation, contributes to an increase in hospital visits and dementia. It also adds to a vicious cycle of anxiety and depression that one-third of US adults reported experiencing.

"Many of us felt lonely or isolated in a way we had never experienced before," Murthy's advisory says that while social connection had been declining for decades before COVID-19 but the pandemic exacerbated it.

The advisory points to the importance of social connection and that, as per recent estimates synthesised from 148 studies, suggests that it increases the odds of survival by 50 per cent.

It further suggests that being around people, especially loved ones, also motivates one to take care of themselves.

(With inputs from agencies)

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