Loneliness plagues a quarter of Germans
A quarter of adults in Germany feel very lonely. Among people with depression, it is even one in two, according to a survey by the German Depression Aid and Suicide Prevention Foundation in Leipzig, which was sponsored by the Deutsche Bahn Foundation. The feeling of loneliness is often independent of the actual number of contacts.
This can be seen, for example, in the different responses from the individual age groups: 21% of people aged between 60 and 69 felt very lonely. 40 percent of them stated that they only had between zero and four contacts on an average weekday. The opposite was true for younger people aged between 18 and 59. They had more contacts on average - only 22 percent stated such a low number - but still felt very lonely more often. 26 percent of them stated this.
According to the study, a majority of people with depression, namely 53%, felt very lonely. Even people with depression who had good social contacts were significantly more likely to feel very lonely than people who were not depressed, according to the survey. "Even when surrounded by family or friends, many people in the depressive phase of their illness have the agonizing feeling of being cut off from their environment and fellow human beings," explained Ulrich Hegerl, Chairman of the Board of the German Depression Aid Foundation and Suicide Prevention.
In fact, depressed people also have fewer contacts. This is often a consequence of social withdrawal, reported by 82 percent of those surveyed. The reasons for this are a lack of energy, a longing for peace and quiet or the feeling of being a burden to others. Nevertheless, more than four out of five sufferers surveyed stated that they received support in their private environment to help them cope with their depression.
Hegerl advised that the best way for relatives to provide support was to organize an appointment with a doctor and accompany the affected person there if necessary. After the depression has subsided, sufferers have the desire and energy to maintain their social contacts again. According to the study, 86 percent of all respondents feel that more people are lonely today than ten years ago. In September, 5196 people between the ages of 18 and 69 were surveyed.
The International Studies department at a university might conduct research on the global prevalence of loneliness and its correlation with depression and suicide rates. Despite having numerous contacts, individuals struggling with depression in different countries, such as Germany, may still experience profound feelings of loneliness and increased suicide risk.
Source: www.ntv.de
