(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 10 - Loneliness almost causes a case of depression among the over-50s: this is revealed by a study published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal and conducted at the University College of London, involving over 4200 individuals whose health status is been monitored for an average of 12 years.
At the beginning of the study, the level of perception of loneliness was measured with an ad hoc scale and it was found that for each additional point on this scale, the individual has a double risk of developing depression in the years to come.
What matters is the individual experience of loneliness (feeling alone), or the subjective perception of it, even more than the 'objective' measure of social isolation;
in other words, the more lonely you feel, the greater your risk of getting depressed over the next 12 years.
"We have seen that feeling alone - explains Gemma Lewis, coordinator of the work - is a strong risk factor for depression, more than the actual number of social contacts of a person. So the time spent in company is not so important - continues - but how lonely it actually feels. "
Experts have calculated that if interventions to reduce the individual's perception of loneliness could be implemented, nearly one case of depression could be prevented in 5 over-50s.
(HANDLE).