Tackling loneliness in people with mental health problems

Loneliness is defined as an unpleasant, emotionally distressing state that arises when a person feels that the quality or quantity of their social relationships falls short of what they desire (Perlman D & Peplau LA, 1981). Importantly, it is not synonymous with simply being alone; people can feel lonely when objectively isolated, but they can also feel alone even when surrounded by people. Lonely individuals often feel that they lack a sense of companionship, that others don’t understand them or share their interests, and that they find it hard to reach out and make new friends. Many people will experience loneliness temporarily at some point in their lives, but for some it can become a chronic and pervasive problem that compromises their mental and physical health.

I know this can be a problem for some. I am quite happy with my own company most of the time. It is good to see family but I don’t make a great effort,or really any effort at all,to meet other people. I am quite asocial.

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I define lonelyness differently:
A state of maturity in adults where they can’t share their Problems with anybody. Like a state of mind opposite to paranoia.
Paranoia: A state of mind where it’s impossible to keep secrets as they are already known by the time its being thought. (Inmature)

So am I, but it has been right after the times in my life where I was the most isolated that I got the most out of hand and weird. I need at least a little socialization.

I think some of my asociality is a defensive response to finding social interaction difficult.

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Me,too. I made some adjustment to my socialization by reducing face to face interactions and increasing internet friendship. I just keep a few friends in reality but I made a lot of cyber friends. Talking with friends on internet by typing is much easier than talking with friends in reality.

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maybe you’re just an introvert

not everything has to be mental illness

I’m a bit both an introvert and extrovert

I’m an introvert and have mental health problems,though I quite agree the two don’t necessarily have to go together. There are plenty of introverts who are not mentally ill.

Ditto with asociality it may be connected to someone’s mental illness or not.

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I find socializing quite difficult, even online.

I had some offline friends before but all relationships ended due to my difficulty trusting and enjoying time with them.

I also had some online friends but I felt dissatisfied due to lack of face-to-face contact.

Mixing both kinds of friends doesn’t work either, because it is too confusing to me. Too many rules and manners.

It’s ok to make friends, but the most difficult part is staying in a relationship.

Loneliness is one of my chronic issues.

Me too. I think that as much as I crave solitude, too much of it is bad for me. Isolation is the enemy of a lot of the mentally ill.

There is a big difference between Isolation and Loneliness.

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I was surprised to learn that loneliness affects people of all ages.

I’ve talked to people in their 20s & 30s online they have AWFUL lonliness.

Fortunately the don’t know what that’s about. I just get bored sometimes. Like r n

Loneliness is one thing that makes me hesitant about wishing to live to age 100. You might outlive all of your friends and family and then what do you do?

It’s kinda hard to make friends when you live with your Mom, can’t drive, make little to no money, and have social anxiety as it is. The laws involving SSI, SSDI which many schizophrenics are on in the US can put you there fast.

I was more lonely then than I am now at the age of 62.

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