Oftentimes, loneliness and depression go hand in hand. Depression can cause us to neglect our relationships, and in the absence of social support, we begin to feel isolated and lonely. On the other hand, when someone experiences loneliness, it can contribute to depression. The good news is that with mental health treatment, you can break this cycle. Learn about overcoming loneliness with Mid City TMS depression therapy today.
How Loneliness Affects Your Health
Loneliness is the result of much more than simply being alone. John Cacioppo, the director of the University of Chicago’s Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, writes in his book, Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, that loneliness can be felt even in the midst of large groups of people. What defines loneliness, according to Cacioppo, is the perception of isolation and the sense that your relationships do not meet your social needs.
Already a serious mental health issue on its own, loneliness also has the capacity to affect other areas of one’s physical and mental health:
- In a study conducted by Cacioppo, loneliness was identified as a risk factor for depression in adults middle-aged and older.
- Senior citizens who reported feeling lonely in a study from the Netherlands were found to be more likely to develop Alzheimer’s and various other kinds of dementia.
- Recent research indicates that a lack of social connectivity impacts mortality as much as smoking 15 cigarettes per day, and loneliness can affect your health even more than obesity.
- TIME magazine reports that not only can loneliness increase your risk of dying prematurely by 26%, but it can also be more detrimental to your health than air pollution.
Overcoming loneliness is a critical step to achieving and maintaining good health. Consider a treatment plan that includes socialization and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy at Mid City TMS if you have been suffering from loneliness and depression.
Socialization and TMS Therapy for Depression Treatment
At Mid City TMS, we recognize that the best ways to treat depression often involve combining multiple forms of therapy. One way we help patients overcome loneliness and depression is by encouraging them to socialize and pursue TMS treatment.
Members of the treatment team at Mid City TMS encourage these patients to interact with others more and improve the quality of their relationships. Volunteer opportunities that allow you to engage with others, for instance, are a great way to help others and help yourself. Patients may also benefit from participating in support groups, which provide you with the chance to socialize, learn new coping techniques, and share your experience with people who are going through the same thing. The Mood Disorder Support Group offers a number of different support groups right here in New York.
In addition to socializing, we recommend TMS therapy for depression and loneliness. TMS works by sending magnetic pulses to activate specific areas of your brain where low activity causes depression. It is one of the most effective procedures available for treatment-resistant depression, which makes it an excellent option for patients who have not achieved the results they were looking for from other depression treatment options. TMS is safe, non-convulsive, non-invasive, and FDA approved.
Contact Mid City TMS, conveniently located in Midtown Manhattan, today for a consultation about overcoming loneliness and depression. We are one of New York’s depression treatment centers at the forefront of clinical depression treatments.