JOIN USThe Covid-19 pandemic has affected and changed all aspects of life of people everywhere. Economy, politics, governance, society and all other areas of activity have been impacted as never before, and the consequences will be fully clear only in the coming years. One important area that has been badly hit is the mental health of people. Social interaction and public activities have been reduced to the minimum and, as a result, isolation has increased. Japan recently appointed a ‘Minister for Loneliness’ to deal with issues arising from the isolation of individuals in society. Cases of suicide have increased there and were at an 11-year high last year. Japan is not the only country to be confronted with the problem and having to tackle it at the government level. Britain appointed its Minister for Loneliness in 2018, long before the pandemic. The ministry has become more relevant after the outbreak of the pandemic which aggravated the tendencies that were building up in society due to various factors.
Human beings are social animals, and it is a paradox that a pandemic which is a collective threat to humanity and affects everyone without distinction has also separated people from one another. The reason may be that it has to be fought by everyone individually, and keeping others away is the way to keep the virus away. This certainly exerts an existential pressure to bury the natural social instincts and habits, and that works on the mind. The world has even otherwise seen a progressive disintegration of community life through centuries with the spread of individualism and ideologies and systems based on it. Modes of living and attitudes acquired through many millennia of human experience have seen changes, especially in what is known as the developed world. Loneliness has itself, in fact, spread like a pandemic in societies. Surveys have shown that 40-50% of the people in the UK and the US have felt lonely in their lives.
Loneliness causes not only mental health problems but also physical ailments. It is considered worse than obesity and can lead to a host of ailments like coronary diseases, stroke, cognitive decline and dementia, and increase the risk of death by as much as 25%. Depression and suicidal tendencies are obvious consequences. So, there is a strong case for loneliness to be treated as a separate medical issue and for society and government to give it special focus. In India, too, mental health issues are coming into sharper focus, with cases of suicide rising among younger people, including students. The matter calls for serious attention.