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By Sister Constance Veit, lsp
The COVID-19 public health emergency has officially ended and summer promises happier times in the months ahead.
And yet our surgeon general, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, has just issued an advisory signaling a new public health threat in our country.
The issue is loneliness.
It’s actually not a new problem at all, but an invisible epidemic that has been spreading through our society unchecked for many years.
In an essay in the New York Times in April, Dr. Murthy asserts, “We need to acknowledge the loneliness and isolation that millions are experiencing and the grave consequences for our mental health, physical health and collective well-being.”
Dr. Murthy warns that loneliness is “more than just a bad feeling.” It often leads to anxiety and depression – but that is not all.
It is also associated with increased risk of heart disease, dementia and stroke.
Loneliness carries with it a more significant risk of premature death than either smoking or obesity!
Dr. Murthy also noted that social disconnection is linked to reduced performance in the workplace and at school as well as diminished social engagement.
To combat this epidemic of loneliness, Dr. Murthy proposes a three-pronged national framework aimed at rebuilding social connection and community.
The first point in Dr. Murthy’s plan is to strengthen our social infrastructure through programs, structures and policies that support healthy relationships.
The second point is to renegotiate our relationship with technology – we need to learn to put down our devices in order to be more present to each other.
Third, each of us needs to reach out and rebuild relationships in our personal lives.
Although all three elements are...Read More
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