Headline October 18, 2016/ ''' *UNHAPPY* -SOCIAL- ISOLATION '''

''' *UNHAPPY* -SOCIAL- ISOLATION '''

*REACHING OUT TO HEAL THE LONELY* : it is heartening to see the programs respond amid a growing epidemic of social isolation 

*MENTAL HEALTH : Concomitantly,   one Study in the developed world shows,  depression poorly diagnosed and treated: Using data from a survey that screened   more  than   46,000 Americans for depression-

Researchers found evidence that the condition is not properly diagnosed in many people. And even when diagnosed correctly, depression often goes undetected. More on it towards the end, when I round off this post.

John T. Cacioppo, a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago and director at the university's  Center for  Cognitive and Social Neuroscience-

Has been studying  *loneliness*  since the 1990s. He said loneliness is an aversive signal much  like thirst, hunger or pain.

'*Denying you feel lonely makes no more sense than denying you feel hunger,'' he said.   Yet the very world  ''lonely''  carries a negative connotation. ''It's the psychological equivalent of being a loser in life, or too weak to stand on your own.'' he said.

The unspoken signs of loneliness is amply evident during calls to  *The Silver Line*.  Most people call asking for advice on, say, roasting a turkey. 

Many call more than once a day. One woman rings every hour to ask the time. Only rarely will someone speak about loneliness.

Yet the impulse call in to services like The Silver Line is a healthy one, Mr. Cacioppo said.

Silver Line workers leave it up to the caller to mention whether they are feeling lonely. still, the advisers are trained to listen for signs of unhappy isolation-

And gently lead the conversation accordingly, perhaps offering to link the caller to a Silver Line Friend, who volunteer, who makes weekly phone calls or writes letters to those who requested it.

Sophia Andrews, the chief executive of the Silver Line, said she was surprised by the explosion of calls shortly after the service began operating nearly three years ago.

The Blackpool call center now receives about 1,500 calls a day.  

Ms. Andrews said she was most concerned not about those who called, but those who were too depressed by their isolation to pick up the phone. 

''We need to raise awareness with the people who are hardest to reach,'' she said.

So, in America, *the Mental Health   nationwide survey* that I referred to at the beginning of the post,  was undertaken in 2012 by the Agency for  Healthcare Research and Quality. 

It used a well-validated scale to determine depressed mood, and the researchers defined treatment as having visited-

A psychotherapist in other mental health  professional or taken psychiatric drug. . The study is in JAMA Internal Medicine.

About  8.4 percent  of the people interviewed had depression. But of those, only 28.7 had received any treatment.

At the same time, of those who were treated for depression, only 29.9 percent had screened positive for the disorder. 

Many people with less serious psychological problems were being treated with antidepressants and other psychiatric medicines.  

The Honour and Serving of the latest  operational research  on  *Life and Living*  continues. Thank Ya all for reading and sharing forward and see you all on the following one.

With respectful dedication to the Grandparents, Parents, Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all on !WOW!  -the World Students Society and Twitter-!E-WOW!  -the Ecosystem 2011:

''' Never Deterred '''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless