The Loneliness Epidemic: Isolation as a Risk Factor for Suicide
Suicide Prevention

The Loneliness Epidemic: Isolation as a Risk Factor for Suicide

Loneliness kills. It is not a metaphor. Research shows that chronic isolation is as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day—and it is one of the strongest predictors of suicidal ideation.

May 10, 20241 min read

Loneliness kills. It is not a metaphor. Research shows that chronic isolation is as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day—and it is one of the strongest predictors of suicidal ideation.

Mental Health First Aid Israel addresses isolation directly in its suicide-prevention training. Volunteers learn to identify the quietly lonely—the elderly widow, the displaced student, the soldier who returns home but feels like a stranger.

Simple gestures matter. A phone call, a shared meal, an invitation to walk together can interrupt the spiral of loneliness.

MHFA Israel reminds communities that connection is prevention—and that each of us can become someone's reason to stay.

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