Is Loneliness A Disease?

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Perhaps a symptom of a disease. Depression is the first thing that comes to mind here for me. Although I have zero “advanced” knowledge or expertise in the area. Anyhow, loneliness, or maybe “withdrawal” it might also be considered, if it’s connected to some other condition such as depression, I’d say that’s a pretty serious situation to be addressed sooner than later. **And yes I do realize that I answered questions that weren’t even asked

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Very insightful, but I would suggest that often enough loneliness brings upon depression rather than loneliness being a symptom of depression. Maybe a chicken or the egg conversation sure. I’m just suggesting lots of mentally healthy people find themselves alone in the world by a myriad of causes.

When I've been homeless, loneliness was the worst aspect. It's not a pathology but it damn sure worsens your health. I have no doubt that loneliness induced by covid was a serious health burden, globally.

I've never been so thankful to be around other people as when I was homeless.

Things like this message board can help a bit, but humans need person to person contact. You have to have someone to work with, get coffee with, exercise with, or whatever. You need things like spontaneous conversation. Those needs can't be met in a virtual environment.

I remember once I was looking for some general purpose cleaner to wipe down a cheap tarp I'd laid down on my tent floor. I stood there in Walmart until a couple employees noticed me, just so I could ask them if they had a certain type, all so I could have a moment of conversation and eye contact with real humans. They didn't have the cleaner, I thanked them for the help, and moved on. That little bit of contact felt good.

Humans need other humans as a general rule.

Otherwise you get this:

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Loneliness isn’t a disease. It’s an outlook. A state of mind.

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It all depends on the terms you are defining “loneliness” in.

On one hand, it can be a “factual” definition of simply not having companions. On the other hand, it can also attach a quality of longing for companionship.

From a psychological perspective, loneliness can entail an actual condition where a person believes that their “needs” are not being met to an adequate level - be it quality or quantity. In that case it’s a form of mental disorder or disease

It sounds like you are saying that loneliness is a “choice”. For people who are mentally healthy, that is often true. They can make a “simple” decision to go out more, join a bowling league, volunteer, etc. in terms of quality, they can adopt the “if you can’t be with the one you love,
love the one they’re with” mantra.

For people with other mental conditions…like depression,
Anxiety or PTSD….doing that isn’t quite as easy.

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I’m dying a little bit every day from it. Really believe that I won’t make it another year. Most days I feel like I’ve had enough and am ready to go that night.

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bfc... this makes me so sad. I know I don't 'know you' know you, but I genuinely hope that it gets better for you.

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But I’m up today and probably will make it through the day. I keep trying.

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yep, keep going friend.

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I don’t put myself in social circles where I meet them.

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I think this is one of the components of the loneliness epidemic. The loss of social and civic organizations that used to draw people together.

No

Loneliness is a mindset. I have always been a loner and love it. You have to cultivate a healthy relationship with yourself though. People who are self loathing look for external stimulation to run away from the things that they hate about themselves. It’s all about embracing your light and shadow.

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people are becoming so isolated from other people that it is lowering life end expectancy

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Quarantine is in tha house....

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I disagree about state of mind. I had an entire grade turn against me when I was younger. There's no state of mind for a 10 year old that gets isolated like that. All because some dumbass kid spread the rumor psoriasis was a communicable disease.

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Kids are fricking mean.