Loneliness and social isolation: risk factors long overdue for surveillance.

Definition of Loneliness Some of the early definitions of loneliness characterized it as a lack of social intimacy or as a deficiency in social relationships. Loneliness is often described as a subjective feeling of isolation, not belonging, or lacking companionship. Steptoe et al contend that loneliness is frequently considered as “the psychological embodiment of social isolation.” Other experts in this area define loneliness more explicitly as a distressing feeling associated with discrepancies between one’s desired and actual social relationships. The latter may help to explain how a person can feel lonely despite living with a spouse or other family members, or living with many other people in a community or institutional setting.