Omneya El-Hosseiny
Jorm S/Shutterstock.com
“I am lonely”
Who had never said this sentence?
Frequently, we have this feeling especially as medical students, we spend most of our time with books and lectures, away from people and social activities.
But is there a difference between being alone and lonely? Can this temporary feeling turn into a disease?
Being alone is considered a physical state of not being with other individuals, while loneliness is a psychological state when the social relationships are less in quality and quantity than desired. So, someone can be alone without being lonely and another one can be lonely even when surrounded by people.
Loneliness can be defined as “Inability to find meaning in one's life”, “Feeling of negative and unpleasant”, “A negative feeling related to the deficient social relations”, “A feeling of disconnectedness or isolation” .... etc.
This feeling makes people feel unwanted and empty, they need social contacts, but their psychological state makes it difficult for them to form connections or start a conversation with other people.
Loneliness frequently causes depression, suicidal behavior, sleep problems, disturbed appetite, and so on.
It is said that loneliness is more dangerous than smoking. It has a wide range of negative effects on physical and mental health including:
Alzheimer’s disease.
Antisocial behavior.
Weak memory.
Increased stress level.
Cardiovascular diseases.
Day time fatigue.
The certain causes of lonely are not known but researchers have found that high levels of loneliness is associated with living alone, small social networks or low-quality social relationships while low levels of loneliness is associated with marriage, friendships or having a pet.
Tips to overcome loneliness:
Loneliness can be overcome; it requires a conscious change from your side. The little changes can make you happier, healthier and affect others in a positive way, you can avoid it by:
Volunteering and helping others.
Having a pet.
Making your relationship with family members stronger.
Expect the best and have positive thoughts.
Developing a quality relationship.
Recognizing the negative impact of loneliness on your life.
Mother Teresa said: “The greatest disease today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love...”.
Finally, loneliness should be considered a disease with its epidemiology, phenomena, etiology, criteria for diagnosis and adverse effects, and it should find its place in classification of psychiatric disorders.
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