Maggie McKay (Host): In today's episode, we'll dive into a growing issue that affects millions of people, loneliness, with Dr. Monique Winnett. Welcome to St. Joseph's Health MedCast. I'm your host, Maggie McKay. Loneliness, research shows that loneliness and social isolation can be just as harmful to your health as obesity or smoking 15 cigarettes a day with serious effects on both physical and mental wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic not only intensified this problem, but also brought much needed attention to it.

Join us as we explore the impact of loneliness and discuss ways to address this crucial public health concern. Thank you so much for joining us, Dr. Winnett. Would you please introduce yourself?

Dr. Monique Winnett: Hi. Yes, my name is Dr. Monique Winett. I'm a clinical psychologist with St. Joseph's Health.

Host: So, loneliness and isolation are indicators of social disconnection. What type of mental and physical health problems can they cause?

Dr. Monique Winnett: Sure. Unfortunately, we're seeing loneliness being related to a lot of physical and mental health conditions. Increased risk for heart disease, stroke, dementia, type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, and even linked to a higher likelihood of suicidal ideation.

Host: Are there certain age groups that are more likely to suffer from loneliness?

Dr. Monique Winnett: Historically, we tend to see this most in the elderly, often if people are retired and not going out or living at home alone. We're also seeing it increasingly in the adolescent population more recently.

Host: Yeah. Why is that, that teenagers are reporting feeling very lonely as of the last few years? Is it exasperated by their heavy online presence?

Dr. Monique Winnett: It seems to have an impact there. And there seems to be this theory for adolescents that that online social interaction can replicate or duplicate in-person social interaction, but what the research shows is that's not actually true. So, that connecting with somebody via social media or via the internet does not have the same quality as the interactions that we have face to face.

Unfortunately, also when people are operating through forums like different social media accounts where they are looking for validation or certain numbers of likes or follows or watches, when that doesn't occur for people, that can really increase that sensation of loneliness as well.

Host: So, let's talk about strategies for managing loneliness. What are some good ideas, practical?

Dr. Monique Winnett: Yeah, I think it's important for people to be aware that isolation and loneliness are not the same thing. So, social isolation is being alone more than you're with other people. It's spending a lot of time in the house, right? But not everybody who socially isolates is necessarily lonely. And conversely, people can be surrounded by people and in a room full of people and still feel lonely. So, it really is about the quality and the nature of interactions with humans that are important. And for each person to be able to know within their self how much of that meaningful social interaction they need and where it feels best from.

That being said, certainly working to get people out of that social isolation is a really great way to work toward decreasing that sense of loneliness. So, getting out, you know, even standing in line in a grocery store where you're more likely to run into people can give some more social interaction with other people. Finding local groups or organizations to join, volunteering, going to discussions at your local library, making extra efforts to see friends or family and trying to make sure that you're being planful about having a certain amount of those social interactions on a weekly basis can be helpful.

Host: And how do we spot loneliness among our loved ones? Is there anything we can do to help?

Dr. Monique Winnett: I think it's tough to spot sometimes for what we already said, that sometimes somebody who is on their own a lot is not actually feeling very lonely versus somebody who seems to be busy and social and surrounded by a lot of people might actually still be feeling lonely. So, I think it's just being aware and conscious of what you see in other people.

If people are seeming a little withdrawn, if they are less engaged than they previously would be, if they seem to have less energy or be keeping to themselves more, just generally to seem not as happy or energized as you've previously seen them, that might be a little red flag that they're not doing as well as they could be.

Host: So, is it a good idea, say, just as an example, you have a coworker who's new to town, doesn't know anyone and they're kind of young and you think, "Oh, should I ask them out or get them involved in a club" or just mind your own business?

Dr. Monique Winnett: No, I think because loneliness is often just this perception of how we're seeing ourselves in relation to other people, even just having those invitations, even just reaching out to people, even if they don't take you up on it, will help them feel like there's somebody there that's interested in them and help build that connection with that person. So, I think reaching out to those people and encouraging them to join in and what else is going on can be really beneficial.

Host: Literally, this week I was in line and there was a young girl like college age in front of me, and she was talking to the clerk and she was asking about if there was a bus stop nearby and she said, "Yeah, there's one right outside." And she said, "I'm working on my anxiety and loneliness, and I'm just going to get on a bus and make myself do it." And I thought, "That is so sad." But at least she was out there and she was putting her best effort forward and trying.

Dr. Monique Winnett: Absolutely. It's a story that very much makes me think of several of my patients where sometimes just our goal for our given week is to just push themselves into some situations that are slightly different than they would normally do or put themselves in some locations that might be slightly different than where they would normally be just to increase the likelihood that they're able to have some of those interactions and engage in things in a more meaningful way.

Host: So, what about people who are housebound? Maybe it's their only alternative to do Zooms or go on to social media or like we were saying earlier with kids that might make them more lonely.

Dr. Monique Winnett: Yeah. The housebound population really struggles in terms of loneliness for all of those reasons. It's hard for them to be out and be social and connecting with others. I would certainly say that something like Zoom phone calls or meetings or groups can definitely be beneficial and far more beneficial than necessarily being alone, but maybe be planful about what those things are, have some self-awareness, check in with yourself and notice that, you know, after I was on Facebook for a half an hour, was I feeling better and energized and more connected to people, or is there actually some disconnect happening within me? And I don't like how I'm feeling right now." And maybe making sure that you're putting energy into the things that are feeling fulfilling and helping you feel connected to others and being mindful of the things that might be filling the time, but aren't actually feeling meaningful or aren't helping you make those connections. Certainly, even for that homebound population, reaching out to people that can come visit them or call them or stop by for coffee at some point in time can be helpful in terms of them still feeling like they have those relationships with others.

Host: Well, thank you so much for sharing your expertise and giving us strategies to help either ourselves or other people who we know loved ones who are feeling lonely. We really appreciate your time.

Dr. Monique Winnett: Of course. Thank you for the time.

Host: Again, that's Dr. Monique Winnett. Loneliness may cause anxiety or depression, as we just spoke about, which may intensify feelings of isolation. So, talk to your St. Joseph's health provider to get help. Visit sjhsyr.org. That's sjhsyr.org. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. I'm Maggie McKay. Thanks for listening to St. Joseph's Health Medcast.