{"id":3251,"date":"2023-09-11T11:02:54","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T15:02:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailycupofwellness\/?p=3251"},"modified":"2023-09-11T11:02:54","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T15:02:54","slug":"psychiatrist-says-go-back-to-church-as-loneliness-becomes-major-health-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailycupofwellness\/2023\/09\/psychiatrist-says-go-back-to-church-as-loneliness-becomes-major-health-threat.html","title":{"rendered":"Psychiatrist Says ‘Go Back to Church’ As Loneliness Becomes Major Health Threat"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The U.S. Surgeon General says loneliness is now a severe public health threat on par with obesity and smoking. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., says that loneliness has become a painful secret<\/a> for far too many Americans, revealing that he experienced this firsthand. He told ABC News, \u201cThis is an issue so many people struggle with in the shadows because they feel ashamed. And that was true for me as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like many others, Dr. Murthy experienced loneliness as a child and again as an adult. He recalled, \u201cIt was my wife Alice who stepped in and said, \u2018Hey, I\u2019m worried about you because you\u2019re not reaching out to people. You\u2019re not socializing with your friends.\u201d Dr. Murthy recently released a new Surgeon General Advisory<\/a> calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in the United States.<\/p>\n

He said loneliness increases the risk of physical ailments like dementia, heart disease, stroke, and mental illnesses, including anxiety, depression, and suicide. He adds that the possibility of premature death due to loneliness could equal that of smoking 15 cigarettes a day and pose a greater health risk than living with obesity. Murthy said about 50 percent of adults struggle with loneliness, and even more children do. This statistic can be surprising because many young people frequently connect with their peers online.<\/p>\n