27th March 2025
27th March 2025
Loneliness - social isolation
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing has published a public awareness campaign on social isolation under the title Let’s Talk. In doing so, the Ministry wants to raise public awareness of how serious social isolation can be and how we can all be part of the solution.
Everyone can experience social isolation
The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined social isolation as a public health problem along with smoking, alcohol overdose, obesity, and other major threats to public health. WHO estimates that about one in ten young people experience social isolation and about one in four older people.
The causes of social isolation are diverse. Death of a spouse, divorce, illness, breakup of friends, job loss, and other traumas can all be causes of people to fall into a shell or lose contact with the local community.
There are several ways to break social isolation, whether for those who are socially isolated or for the whole community. In connection with the awareness campaign, useful information has been gathered. For example, there are recommendations for questions such as:
Have you recently experienced a loss, divorce, or retirement?
Have you recently experienced social trauma or conflict that has caused burnout or anxiety?
Do you rely heavily on social media to follow acquaintances or the world at large?
Has your neighbour or relative increasingly “looked into the shell”?
Are there any indications in the environment that suggest decreasing activity?
You can get information, support, and advice throughout the day at the Red Cross chat and helpline 1717.
More information on help social isolation and loneliness on Ísland.is.