LONELINESS AND LONGEVITY  [ back to What's New ]
According to the Harvard Mental Health Letter (4/2000 edition Vol. 16 No. 10) people with good social connections tend to be healthier, to live longer and to survive heart attacks, breast cancer and other serious illnesses much longer than people who live alone. Whether the social network consists of friends or a support group, having people to be with and talk to has a real and tangible effect on our health and longevity. The risk of becoming socially disconnected and lonely is high for people with a TBI. No one wants to admit they feel  lonely and its hard to risk the rejection that goes with trying to make new friends. Nevertheless your life may depend on doing something about it.  Joining a TBI support group is a totally acceptable and less threatening way to make new friends. Many of these groups go on successfully for years, because they enable their members to share experiences, feelings, concerns and observations with others who are going through similar situations.