RALEIGH, N.C. — The U.S. surgeon general has declared loneliness a public health epidemic in the United States.

Therapists say it can have serious consequences, including heart disease, if it goes unaddressed.

Mental health therapist Shiniqua Harris says there are many reasons why loneliness is considered a public health epidemic.

“Loneliness is really based on a person’s perspective, their experience of the world around them, and so there’s this perceived gap between the relationships that they desire to have and the relationships that they actually have,” she said.

Harris says the experience of loneliness is linked to other health outcomes.

“It exacerbates anxiety and depression symptoms as well as a rise of stress,” she said.

The surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, says one in two adults across the country experiences levels of loneliness. That number is even higher among young people. 

Harris says ways to help address loneliness include gaining deeper understanding of yourself, cultivating relationships, picking up a hobby, volunteering and reaching out to a therapist, so you have a safe place to process your emotions.

According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 47% of the U.S. population lived in a mental health workforce shortage area in 2022.