Loneliness shortens life and is so widespread that San Mateo County, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, has defined it as a true health emergency. It is the first time that a local American government has adopted a resolution of this type, officially committing itself to evaluating measures that promote social interactions in the community, which also includes the rich Silicon Valley. In particular, 47 million dollars are expected to be allocated for projects such as the creation of parks for joint activities, the increase in public transport, the establishment of paid leave for workers so that they have more free time and the construction of new libraries with social activities.
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In New York the ambassador for the fight against loneliness
San Mateo thus follows the state of New York, where a few months ago an “honorary ambassador” for the fight against loneliness was established. Canepa himself admitted that the resolution was partly inspired by the efforts of the United Kingdom and Japan, which appointed national ministers to tackle loneliness. Even the American “Surgeon General” himself, Vivek Murthy – the chief executive of the “Public Health Service Commissioned Corps” and the spokesperson for public health issues in the federal government – had raised the alarm about the growing “isolation of Americans even before the pandemic”, recalling that loneliness is a cause of death premature “preventable” like smoking.
Like six glasses of wine a day
“Loneliness is one of the precipitating factors for negative outcomes in many diseases and is a key determinant of health as harmful as 15 cigarettes a day and 6 glasses of wine a day, as well as being a risk factor causing depression in 1 case in 5, cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia”, he underlines Claudio Mencacci, president of the Italian Society of NeuroPsychoPharmacology (Sinpf) and director emeritus of psychiatry at the ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco in Milan. “The loneliness that arises from a discrepancy between the level of desired social connection and the actual one is correlated to poverty, unemployment and an increase in the lack of people to confide in. In Italy – he continues – among people over 75 years of age almost 40% have no relatives or friends to turn to in case of need (Istat)”. A recent study from the University of Glasgow, published in the journal BMC Medicineconcluded that loneliness increases the risk of mortality in the elderly population.
The most exposed women
According to Mencacci, therefore, the resolution adopted by the county of San Mateo is not at all exaggerated. “Isolation, loneliness, social disconnection are truly a public health problem. with gender differences which see women more exposed”, confirms the expert, anticipating what will be one of the themes at the center of the conference “Women and mental health, the most common disorders in the era of unpredictability”, organized by Sinpf and Fondazione Onda, on March 8th in Milan.
According to specialists, health systems cannot ignore social isolation and loneliness. Mencacci lists a series of measures that can help address the problem: “Peer tutoring programs are needed to maintain social ties; activate essential caregivers to reduce social isolation and be able to use all social supports in order to stimulate relationships and community supports; and organize places where people, especially elderly people, can access and use the internet to connect”. If it is true that loneliness kills, social relationships are therefore “life-saving”.
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