Latest studies have discovered that loneliness is an addiction... Just like any other addiction, its a mental health disease thats even more dangerous than smoking and heart problems.
While general public knows that loneliness is the cause for decline in physical health, immune system, hormonal changes and mood swings... but due to egoistic belief systems, they fail to accept it when it comes to themself.
The reason why it is such a dangerous disease is that, It has no single common cause, so the prevention and treatment for this damaging state of mind considerably differs.
In other words, No two people will benefit from the same Mantra to happiness.
And not every healer is ready to customize or design a personalized plan for you.
Loneliness may be categorized into three types according to its causes.
1. Situational loneliness: Socio-economic and cultural milieu contributes to situational loneliness.
discrepancy between the levels of his/her needs and social contacts, and migration of population, inter personal conflicts, accidents, disasters or emptiness syndrome, etc., lead to loneliness.
1. Developmental loneliness: Every one of us has an innate desire of intimacy or a need to be related to others. This need is essential for our development as a human being.
Apart from this need, a higher level of need for individualism also exists which is related to knowing and developing our own real self that requires some solitude too.
For optimum development, there should be a balance between the two. When a person is not able to balance these needs properly, it results in loss of meaning from their life which in turn leads to emptiness and loneliness in that person.
Personal inadequacies, developmental deficits, significant separations, social marginality, poverty, living arrangements, and physical/psychological disabilities often lead to developmental loneliness.
3. Internal loneliness: Being alone does not essentially make a person lonely.
Such a person feels lonely even among a group of people.
It is the perception of being alone which makes the person lonely. People with low self-esteem and less self-worth are seen to feel lonelier than their counterparts. Reasons for this type of loneliness are personality factors, locus of control, mental distress, low self-esteem, feeling of guilt or worthlessness, and poor coping strategies with situations.
Several researchers report treatment interventions for loneliness.
These interventions are to be personalized to expectations as per persona.
This increases their efficiency and improve capacities to socialize.
Behavioral training and feedback regulate behavior and improve the frequency and degree of loneliness positively.
Planned interventions include -
a. daily activity schedule
b. encouraging the development of relationships with other people
c. managing stress
d. encouraging sharing of feelings
e. sensitization to expectations
f. creating self-help groups
g. avoiding escapes - facing situations.
Thus, loneliness is a treatable, rather than an irreversible condition.
Loneliness has now become an important public health concern. It leads to pain, injury/loss, grief, fear, fatigue, and exhaustion. Thus, it also makes a person sick and interferes in day to day functioning and hampers recovery.
A few years back Mother Teresa quoted: "the greatest disease in the West 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..."
Loneliness, therefore, is no more an event or concept or factor... Its time general public accept it.
(article in Indian Journal of Psychiatry)
for any questions you are welcome to ask @-
Dr.Hemant Mittal
(Psychiatrist,Motivational Writer/Speaker and Counselor)
email - eksoch@gmail.com
website - http://mindmantra.in/services.html
personal consultation @-
address- Mind Mantra wellness clinic
Shop 15, shreeji plaza, next to ice n spice restaurant,
opposite seawoods station,
seawoods (east)
Navi Mumbai - 400706
While general public knows that loneliness is the cause for decline in physical health, immune system, hormonal changes and mood swings... but due to egoistic belief systems, they fail to accept it when it comes to themself.
The reason why it is such a dangerous disease is that, It has no single common cause, so the prevention and treatment for this damaging state of mind considerably differs.
In other words, No two people will benefit from the same Mantra to happiness.
And not every healer is ready to customize or design a personalized plan for you.
Loneliness may be categorized into three types according to its causes.
1. Situational loneliness: Socio-economic and cultural milieu contributes to situational loneliness.
discrepancy between the levels of his/her needs and social contacts, and migration of population, inter personal conflicts, accidents, disasters or emptiness syndrome, etc., lead to loneliness.
1. Developmental loneliness: Every one of us has an innate desire of intimacy or a need to be related to others. This need is essential for our development as a human being.
Apart from this need, a higher level of need for individualism also exists which is related to knowing and developing our own real self that requires some solitude too.
For optimum development, there should be a balance between the two. When a person is not able to balance these needs properly, it results in loss of meaning from their life which in turn leads to emptiness and loneliness in that person.
Personal inadequacies, developmental deficits, significant separations, social marginality, poverty, living arrangements, and physical/psychological disabilities often lead to developmental loneliness.
3. Internal loneliness: Being alone does not essentially make a person lonely.
Such a person feels lonely even among a group of people.
It is the perception of being alone which makes the person lonely. People with low self-esteem and less self-worth are seen to feel lonelier than their counterparts. Reasons for this type of loneliness are personality factors, locus of control, mental distress, low self-esteem, feeling of guilt or worthlessness, and poor coping strategies with situations.
Several researchers report treatment interventions for loneliness.
These interventions are to be personalized to expectations as per persona.
This increases their efficiency and improve capacities to socialize.
Behavioral training and feedback regulate behavior and improve the frequency and degree of loneliness positively.
Planned interventions include -
a. daily activity schedule
b. encouraging the development of relationships with other people
c. managing stress
d. encouraging sharing of feelings
e. sensitization to expectations
f. creating self-help groups
g. avoiding escapes - facing situations.
Thus, loneliness is a treatable, rather than an irreversible condition.
Loneliness has now become an important public health concern. It leads to pain, injury/loss, grief, fear, fatigue, and exhaustion. Thus, it also makes a person sick and interferes in day to day functioning and hampers recovery.
A few years back Mother Teresa quoted: "the greatest disease in the West 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..."
Loneliness, therefore, is no more an event or concept or factor... Its time general public accept it.
(article in Indian Journal of Psychiatry)
for any questions you are welcome to ask @-
Dr.Hemant Mittal
(Psychiatrist,Motivational Writer/Speaker and Counselor)
email - eksoch@gmail.com
website - http://mindmantra.in/services.html
personal consultation @-
address- Mind Mantra wellness clinic
Shop 15, shreeji plaza, next to ice n spice restaurant,
opposite seawoods station,
seawoods (east)
Navi Mumbai - 400706
