This essay was
based on the article “Is There a Cure for Loneliness? found in the December
2019/January 2020 AARP. The following
are past writings pertaining to loneliness: 1. Existentialists have identified
one of the painful truths of mankind - he is lost based upon the self-awareness
of his existence 2. Sociologist Emile Durkheim in his classic study “Suicide ,”explored the breakdown of social
connections 3.Erich Fromm described, in
depth, the trend to withdraw from the world because of automation and conformity in his
insightful” Escape from Freedom” 4. Sociologist David Riesman in” The Lonely
Crowd “analyzed the impact of the “other directed” individual as he related it
to interpersonal connections in society 5. Psychologist
Henry Murray and others have identified psychological needs of Affiliation,
Achievement, Aggression, Power and Possession and how these needs interact and interfere
with human relationships thereby contributing to the concept of loneliness.
The added
cost to Medicare is almost $7 billion a year resulting from people living in
isolation. Loneliness shortens lifespan, kills more than heart disease,
contributes to Alzheimer’s, and affects high blood pressure, suicide and even the
common cold. It’s been said that it’s more dangerous than obesity and the
equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
We do not
have a restricted definition of loneliness. For example, findings from over 70
studies on loneliness that followed 3.4 million participants for an average of
seven years were divided into three groups. The three groups included the
following: 1. Those lacking from sufficient social connection or being socially
isolated from other people-behavioral 2. Those that described themselves as
very lonely-[emotional and/or psychological testing] 3. Those that lived
alone-behavioral. The researcher found that the definition didn’t matter nor
whether these participants were healthy at the time the study. All three these
groups statistically had an early death.
Essentially,
the statistics on loneliness were based on feelings; physical isolation;
marital status; number of close friends and family members; the amount of
television watched; declining marriage rates; and increasing rates of childlessness.
The definition doesn’t seem to matter as it included perception, psychological
testing and behavioral descriptions. Loneliness
was also related to unsatisfactory interpersonal relationships. Other
loneliness symptoms included: alcohol,
drug and food addiction; wars; nationalism; hate groups; divorce; online
shopping; electronic devices; social network; physical and mental illness. In
other words, the concept of loneliness is complex, prevalent, long explored,
with many tangled components.
There was another
complication or component of loneliness. According to the DSM, the bible of
mental health diagnoses, some of the descriptions of symptoms -feelings and
behavior pertaining to loneliness can be found in the diagnostic category of
depression which is an Affective Disorder. However, loneliness as a diagnosis, was
not found in the DSM.
Furthermore, with the body or physical side,
researchers had identified in subjects who were lonely, activity in white blood
cells suggesting a state of alert. It’s as if, white blood cells were
responding to a bacterial infection or inflammation. Hans Selye’s research on
the stress or the general adaption syndrome came to mind with the increase of
cortisol that disrupted equilibrium resulting in an attack to one’s immune
system. It’s our body’s production of antibodies that make us more vulnerable
to diseases. There are two psychometric measures
of stress- The External Stress Index and The Internal Stress Index .These two
instruments provide numerical values for levels of stress. Of course included
in these indices are life events, thoughts and emotions that correspond to
states of loneliness. In other words loneliness was a prime example of the
body- mind connection. It demonstrated the power, significance and interplay
between the two.
Treatment
for the causes of loneliness are limited to say the least. Treatment could be a
dose of naproxen [Aleve] to reduce the bodies inflammatory
responses; a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor [SSRI] to reduce a sense of social threat that underlies
long-term loneliness; or cognitive behavioral therapy [CBT] to personalize and
teach individual coping and engaging strategies.
Loneliness is
a significant health, social and economic problem in our country and called an
epidemic in Great Britain. With that being said, let’s hypothesize that an
individual presented to the psychotherapist the following as a presenting
problem for treatment “I’m lonely and I need tools, based upon my personality, to
help me.” If the person was willing to pay out-of-pocket fees that would be
acceptable. However, if the person-patient expected that his health insurance
company would pay the therapist, for treatment, he would be wrong. It’s the
collusion between the health insurance companies that decide what presenting
problem or diagnosis are going to be reimbursed. Obviously, their decision has
nothing to do with health. And we call them health insurance companies? We
should rename them exploitive companies. Their primary goal has nothing to do
with health but only with collecting premiums to reinforce their profits. They
know how to exclude and have developed sophisticated strategies to deny
third-party payment for service. And, why do you want to keep your health
insurance company? Expose the fraudulent behavior, contact your representatives.
Demand that these companies provide real health insurance based on health and wellbeing.
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