#41 — Nesh Nikolic on Loneliness & Isolation

SPECIAL NOTICE | Nesh is currently looking for registered psychologists to join the team at Strategic Psychology. See available positions

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In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Mary Andreadis about the psychological and contextual aspects of loneliness and isolation.

Nesh Nikolic is a Canberra-based clinical psychologist with over 15,000 hours of one-on-one therapy experience. He has trained in a number of therapy modes including Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Schema Therapy and he is also recognised by Medicare Australia as a qualified provider of specialist clinical psychology services. His therapeutic passion lies in utilising Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for his clients and has trained clinicians around Australia in ACT.

Nesh holds a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology and is a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS), Association for Contextual Behavioural Science and Fellow of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists.

Mary Andreadis is a Melbourne-based provisional psychologist. She has completed a Bachelors and Honours Degree in Psychology and is completing a Masters Degree in this field to become a qualified psychologist. Mary has worked as a mental health community support worker, counsellor and facilitated monthly anxiety support groups. Alongside all of this, she also writes a blog at MindIntertwined.com.

Links:

Strategic Psychology (Nesh’s practice)
Mind Intertwined (Mary’s blog)

What is Loneliness?
By Mary Andreadis

Back in the days of the cavemen, our ancestors needed some sort of relationship with others in order to survive. They depended on others for protection from other tribes, collecting food, hunting animals and building shelter. If any one of them found themselves alone there was a good chance that feelings of anxiety would arise … as they were probably at risk of dying. While this may not necessarily be the case in today’s society, a lack of social connection can still have devastating effects on one’s physical and mental wellbeing.

What is loneliness?

Loneliness is a feeling of distress or emotional turmoil that people experience when there is a discrepancy between the way their social relationships are perceived to be and the way in which they would like them to be. It may be that one feels they have no one to turn to or no one whom which they truly connect with. It may be that the relationships in their lives do not meet their expectations or needs or it may be that their relationships are not meaningful in some fundamental way.

A recent survey of Australian adults found that on average, one in four adults experience loneliness, with one in two feeling lonely for at least one day in a week. Over half (nearly 55%) of the population also stated that they felt they lacked companionship at least sometimes. The results of this survey also suggested that higher levels of loneliness were associated with poorer levels of psychological wellbeing, a poorer physical health status and a poorer quality of life in general.

Who is at risk of experiencing loneliness?

Anyone can experience loneliness and many people do at different points in their lives and depending on their circumstances. There are however particular people and groups of people who appear to be at a higher risk (on average) of experiencing loneliness.

Studies suggest that young adults (18-29), as well as older adults (65-79) appear to be the most vulnerable to experiencing loneliness. Furthermore, in a preliminary survey conducted through Swinburne University, it was observed that Australian adults who are married appear to be less lonely than those who are single, separated or divorced. Social interaction anxiety also appears to be associated with higher levels of loneliness and it appears that this is an experience particularly prevalent in younger adults.

Particular circumstances may also trigger feelings of loneliness; for example, a transition into a new school, parenthood, a loss of a loved one or moving to a new state may be potential precedents for loneliness. For some people feelings of loneliness may come and go throughout different points in life, however for others these feelings can remain chronic and pervasive.

What are the health costs of loneliness?

The psychological effects of loneliness, including feelings of sadness, depression and anxiety are widely documented and may come as little surprise, however what many don’t know are the physical effects of social isolation and loneliness.

Loneliness and social isolation have been shown to impair immune function, reduce sleep quality and even increase risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Furthermore, social isolation has even been shown to impact our brain with increased stress hormones, a decrease in the rate and fate of new cell proliferation in the adult brain as well as overall cognitive decline. However most alarming is the research suggesting that increased social isolation can lead to an increased mortality. A review of the literature from 1980 to 2014 suggests that social isolation can increase risk of mortality by 29%; loneliness by 26% and living alone by 32%.

How can we address feelings of loneliness?

Addressing the issue of loneliness is complex as there are often a range of differing factors as to why a person may be experiencing this; therefore, interventions may vary from person to person. Interventions which solely focus on increasing social opportunities for people experiencing loneliness often do not yield great benefits as loneliness is not equivalent to simply being alone. Interventions that address the underlying reasons behind ones perceived loneliness should therefore be considered.

Researchers have identified that social anxiety plays a significant role in predicting loneliness, therefore interventions based on addressing co-occurring symptoms of social anxiety may be useful in addressing loneliness for some people. Interventions based on addressing maladaptive cognitions about others in addition to providing social opportunities may also be effective. Furthermore, as loneliness is more often dependent on the quality rather than the quantity of one’s relationships it may also be useful to consider improving the quality of existing relationships rather than forming new ones. There are however a number of complexities to addressing loneliness and researchers are only beginning to scratch the surface of this intricate and widespread phenomenon.

Loneliness is an unfortunately common experience and one that may be detrimental to one’s physical and mental wellbeing. It is important to remember that you are not alone in these feelings and to reach out for support when needed.

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