NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A new U.S. Census Bureau study found almost 43% of Tennesseans surveyed reported feeling lonely, compared to 40% nationwide.
Experts in the state told News 2 they're sad, but not surprised so many people are struggling.
"I know we have a lot going on in our society these days, especially in Tennessee," Nathan Miller, senior vice president of operations at Volunteer Behavior Health said.
According to Miller, a wide variety of factors can contribute to feelings of loneliness, including financial problems, strained relationships, issues with housing, and busy routines.
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While older adults are more likely to experience loneliness than other groups of people, Miller has seen a large uptick in the number of young people seeking services from Volunteer Behavior Health in recent years. He believes social media is a contributing factor, which provides children with no escape from the problems they may face in school, like bullying.
"Children [used to have] a break during the summer, when they went home for the evening, the children didn't have to deal with it. Nowadays it's 24 hours a day, 7 days a week that they can be subjected to this type of behavior and these types of issues," Miller said.
While loneliness is a feeling, it can take a physical toll and lead to more serious health issues, according to Dr. Aaron Brinen, assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
"Things like increased hypertension, worse diabetes, things like depression, anxiety, even things as much as suicidal thoughts," Brinen said. "While it feels like loneliness is very much an emotional piece, it shows up in our bodies."
Tennessee's level of loneliness has increased nearly six percentage points from July/Aug. 2024 to Aug./Sept. 2024, according to the survey. In addition, the percentage of people who reported feeling lonely in the Volunteer State is three percentage points higher than the national average.
Some experts believe Tennessee's rural, geographical makeup could be one reason behind its higher rate of loneliness, with those in rural areas having more limited access to care, despite recent improvements, like the increased use of telehealth since the pandemic.
However, Brinen told News 2 that such a serious issue should be studied so it can be solved.
"Sure, we could say it happens because people in rural areas, but those people might feel highly connected. It could be that there are people in the cities. It could be that there is a huge part of our population that Tennessee has deemed unacceptable and those people have laws being made against them," Brinen said. "There could be a number of reasons why people may be feeling lonely and we need to study those so we can start helping people."
In recent years, the state of Tennessee has spent millions of dollars expanding access to mental health care, including budgeting $5 million for new crisis stabilization units for children to get care during mental health emergencies.
If you're feeling lonely and need resources, click here for help.