Loneliness in the time of COVID-19: an alarming rise

Abstract

It has been 3 years since WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Globally, WHO reports 764 474 387 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 6·9 million deaths at the time of writing this letter. The pandemic has brought about a plethora of health challenges, both physical and mental. Among these challenges, the sense of isolation and loneliness experienced by many people is particularly noteworthy. Consider a scenario where a person was away from home for work purposes but became stranded due to the pandemic. Unfortunately, during this period, the person's mother passed away due to COVID-19. Regrettably, pandemic-related travel restrictions prevented the individual from returning home to pay their last respects to their deceased mother. The person had no one to confide in personally. Months later, when the restrictions eased, the person returned to work but struggled to connect with their colleagues and chose to isolate themself from others. The experience left the person feeling lonely and isolated. The emotional toll of this traumatic event is unimaginable.1Dsouza DD Quadros S Hyderabadwala ZJ Mamun MA Aggregated COVID-19 suicide incidences in India: fear of COVID-19 infection is the prominent causative factor.Psychiatry Res. 2020; 290113145Crossref PubMed Scopus (228) Google Scholar This person is not the only one who feels the weight of loneliness, as many adults have been hit hard by this feeling during the COVID-19 pandemic.2Ernst M Niederer D Werner AM et al.Loneliness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review with meta-analysis.Am Psychol. 2022; 77: 660-677Crossref PubMed Scopus (62) Google Scholar Unfortunately, these feelings are likely to continue and experts are concerned about the potential for loneliness to become a chronic issue. If left unaddressed, chronic loneliness can lead to various severe mental and physical health conditions.3Keller FM Derksen C Kötting L Dahmen A Lippke S Distress, loneliness, and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: test of the extension of the Evolutionary Theory of Loneliness.Appl Psychol Health Well-Being. 2023; 15: 24-48Crossref PubMed Scopus (11) Google Scholar It is crucial for the medical community to recognise the impact of loneliness on individuals and take steps to address it. Loneliness is a painful, subjective experience characterised by a feeling of insufficient or unsatisfactory desired social connections. Loneliness can result in unhealthy behaviours, such as poor sleeping patterns, lack of exercise, and unhealthy dietary habits, which can contribute to an increased risk of premature mortality by 26% if not appropriately dealt with.4Cacioppo JT Cacioppo S Capitanio JP Cole SW The neuroendocrinology of social isolation.Annu Rev Psychol. 2015; 66: 733-767Crossref PubMed Scopus (463) Google Scholar Moreover, loneliness is believed to be associated with the adverse effects of chronic stress on the body, including inflammation, weakened immune function, and an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease.4Cacioppo JT Cacioppo S Capitanio JP Cole SW The neuroendocrinology of social isolation.Annu Rev Psychol. 2015; 66: 733-767Crossref PubMed Scopus (463) Google Scholar Health-care providers can incorporate screening for social isolation and loneliness into routine assessments and develop care plans that address these issues to avoid any further mental health-related concerns due to any novel illnesses. ???For the WHO COVID-19 Dashboard see https://covid19.who.int/ For the WHO COVID-19 Dashboard see https://covid19.who.int/ We declare no competing interests.