A county in Silicon Valley has declared loneliness a public health emergency. According to Fox News, the city of San Mateo in California’s San Francisco Bay Area passed a resolution to make it legal on January 30. This comes months after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared loneliness a worldwide health problem with serious effects on both mental and physical well-being. The World Health Organization also linked loneliness to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death.
Loneliness has a profound impact on health and is comparable to smoking a pack of cigarettes every day
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on the severe consequences of loneliness. “Loneliness has a profound impact on health and is comparable to smoking a pack of cigarettes every day,” stated supervisor David Canepa in a post on X. He also called for the state of California to appoint a “minister of loneliness” to help those “suffering in silence to restore meaningful connections that were lost during the pandemic.”
US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy also took note of the development. “When I released my Surgeon General’s Advisory on loneliness, I outlined what localities can do to promote connection. Grateful to San Mateo County for becoming the first county in America to recognize the sinking feeling of being lonely as a public health emergency,” he said on X.
Mr Murthy previously stated that being lonely contributes to negative health consequences such as heart attacks
Mr Murthy previously stated that feeling lonely contributes to negative health consequences such as heart attacks, depression, and even premature mortality. Dr David Campbell, clinical and program director at an addiction and mental health treatment centre in Oregon, said he supported the move to designate loneliness a public health emergency. “In present-day America, it appears that we are exchanging floor space and electronic devices for friendships and community,” he stated in an interview with Fox News.
The WHO stated in their research titled ‘Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation’ that the mortality impact of being socially disconnected is comparable to that of smoking up to 15 cigarettes per day and even greater than that of obesity and physical inactivity. The WHO also said that it will launch a commission on social connection – “the first global initiative to tackle the epidemic of loneliness”.
