Surgeon general called loneliness an epidemic. The way to fix it doesn't come from a doctor

In 2024, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory declaring loneliness a public health epidemic. He wasn't exaggerating. The data shows social isolation is as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and raises the risk of premature death by nearly 30%. Yet as a nation, we've done remarkably little to address it. 

I've been a practicing psychiatrist for more than 50 years. This holiday season, my phone won't stop ringing. Patients are desperate for appointments — not because of clinical depression or anxiety disorders...