Loneliness, social isolation, and poor mental health have far-reaching social and economic effects, impacting individuals, families, communities, and the wider economy.

When someone is struggling, their family and friends are often also impacted. They may limit their own social activities and experience negative feelings, experience worry and stigma and face the emotional weight of a changing relationship.

Research also shows that loneliness can make people more alert to social threats, meaning they may focus more on negative social cues, which can then make them feel even more lonely.

Loneliness and mental health conditions

Whilst loneliness isn’t a mental health problem, it is widely recognised that depression is associated with loneliness and isolation and having a mental health problem such as depression or anxiety can increase feelings of loneliness.

An individual struggling with their mental health can feel inclined to: avoid activities and social events they usually enjoy; worry about engaging with others; feel like a burden; and feel overwhelmed in public places.

Research shows suicide ideation increases with the severity of loneliness and over time greater loneliness predicts greater anxiety, stress, and depression. Consequently, loneliness and mental health reinforce each other in a cycle: poor mental health can lead to loneliness, and loneliness can worsen mental health.

Loneliness and dementia

Research shows that loneliness is linked to a higher risk of dementia. People who feel more lonely tend to experience a faster decline in memory, thinking speed, and other cognitive abilities, which may increase the likelihood of developing Alzheimer's-type dementia.

Studies have also found that loneliness is associated with changes in the brain, including reduced grey matter in regions important for memory, attention, decision-making, and social understanding.

Long-term loneliness can also create ongoing stress in the body, activating the stress response system leading to increased inflammation and weaker anti-viral defences. 
Together, these brain and biological changes help us understand why loneliness can have such a powerful impact on cognitive health.

Accessing mental health services

Research shows older adults are less likely than younger people to seek or receive mental health treatment. Many do not view their symptoms as severe or simply believe they are a normal part of ageing or life circumstances. Improving mental health literacy in trusted settings - such as GP practices, community centres, or faith groups - may help reduce this barrier.

Beliefs such as being 'too old to change' can create doubt about treatment effectiveness.

Older people face several barriers to accessing mental health services, including:

• Digital access – many older people lack digital literacy skills and may experience anxiety around online mental health tools, a problem worsened by ageist assumptions.
• Transportation issues – older people are more likely to cite transportation issues as a barrier to support.
• Privacy concerns and mistrust of formal services – older people are more likely to have concerns around privacy, anonymity, and data breaches.

Mental health interventions seem to work best when explicitly tailored to the older person’s individual needs, preferences, and life circumstances. Community-based outreach is a great facilitator to accessing mental health services. Models using community workers to identify socially isolated older adults have proven effective at reaching individuals who were less likely to access traditional services and have shown success in reducing depressive symptoms and improving functioning – though they are less effective for socially isolated people with minimal community contact.

Stigma, normalisation of symptoms, technological barriers, and privacy concerns commonly prevent people from seeking help, and personalisation, community outreach, strong rapport, and reassurance are key facilitators of engagement for older people.

A wider societal impact and public health priority

Loneliness and social isolation also impact our democracy, because public life relies on people feeling connected and engaged. When our connections weaken, our shared culture and civic participation suffers.

Research shows that health and social care systems are under immense pressure. Demand for mental health support is rising faster that services are able to cope with. In 2022, the estimated total cost of mental ill health reached £300bn. For comparison, the NHS budget in England in 2022 was £152bn. The economic impact of mental ill health was on the scale of experiencing a Covid-19-level shock every single year. Consequently, poor mental health is having an economic impact comparable to having a pandemic every year.

Former United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy suggests we are at the tipping point of a public health epidemic - as destructive, or more so, than obesity and tobacco use. The negative impact of social isolation and loneliness affects not only an individual’s current and long-term health and wellbeing but spills out into wider society. Both the human and financial costs associated with mental ill health cannot be ignored. As a society we must move away from viewing loneliness and mental health as individual concerns – we must understand the mechanisms behind disconnection in order to protect our communities and democracy.

If you would like to speak to someone, please contact the Samaritans via their free helpline on 116 123.

If you would like to learn more about mental health support and the services available to you please visit our signposting page.

Or, if you’re looking to make a difference to the mental health of older people through our services tackling loneliness, please investigate our volunteer roles.