Talking About Loneliness

Allan Hardy, Principal
With our annual Bell Let’s Talk Day approaching, I reminded students of how this event has made it acceptable to talk about a wide range of mental health issues.
In Britain, they have focused this dialogue by creating a new government ministry that will deal with loneliness. According to statistics, 200,000 British seniors hadn't had a conversation with family and friends in a month. Loneliness is also a concern in the U.S., with 40% of the adult population describing themselves as lonely and to a lesser extent in Canada, where 20% of adults feel this way. In a recent university survey, two-thirds of Canadian students admitted to feeling "very lonely." As I indicated to students, being aware of this problem can help everyone do what they can to help others feel less alone.
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