The week of Mental Health Awareness 2022 will be from Monday, May 9 through Sunday, May 15, 2022. The week will explore the experience of loneliness, its effect on our mental health and how we can all play a part in reducing loneliness in our communities.
Loneliness affects millions of people in the UK every year, and it is a major cause of poor mental health. According to the Foundation’s Mental Health in the Pandemic research, the Covid pandemic has exacerbated loneliness. The Foundation has been monitoring levels of loneliness in the UK during the pandemic and has discovered that the experience has been much worse, with devastating consequences. Loneliness has been a key factor contributing to higher levels of distress, resulting from people’s sense of isolation and reduced ability to connect with others. According to additional polling by YouGov Plc, loneliness was identified as one of the top issues that the public felt needed to be addressed.
The week will raise awareness about the negative effects of loneliness on our mental health and how to combat it. Loneliness reduction is a key step in creating a mentally healthy society.