Dr. Phil speaks with Inside Edition about the rise in loneliness in the United States.
Feeling lonely? You’re not alone. The surgeon general has announced that the United States is facing a loneliness epidemic.
Loneliness and social isolation are serious issues that plague one in two adults in America, Dr. Phil tells Inside Edition.
“It increases our risk of anxiety, depression, and suicide. And when we are socially disconnected it also raises our risk of physical illness, heart disease, of dementia and premature death,” the national TV doctor says.
The population’s suffering from a lack of face-to-face interactions with the increase in technology use, decreased community gatherings, and busy schedules that don’t allow for connections.
“There is no question that people are living with their head down looking at a screen instead of looking up at the world,” Dr. Phil says.
The COVID-19 pandemic can be to blame for such a drastic increase in social isolation but the TV doctor told Inside Edition that simple steps can be taken to limit this new epidemic.
“We can do simple things that have a powerful effect. Like spending 15 minutes a day talking to someone we care about. Making sure that when we are talking to others we are giving them our full attention, putting our devices away,” Dr. Phil says.
