Researchers in the U.S. are working on a pill for loneliness, a condition increasingly considered an epidemic, while some experts suggest the state shouldn鈥檛 be treated with drugs.
The pill would provide a dose of pregnenolone, a naturally occurring hormone that has been associated with stress reduction. Scientists at the University of Chicago鈥檚 administered the hormone to test subjects during a recent study, building off research that suggested the normalization of pregnenolone in isolated lab rats decreased the stress response.
The lead neuroscientist at the lab has said that the research is not meant to 鈥渃ure鈥� loneliness but to help reduce fear in lonely people.
鈥淎 lonely mind lies to you all the time,鈥� Stephanie Cacioppo told in February. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like when you鈥檙e driving in the winter and the visibility is really bad. The idea is that a pill could defrost the windshield for you, and finally you see things as they are, rather than being afraid of everyone. You become more open to listening to others.鈥�
Rates of Canadians living alone has more than doubled, reports from Statistics Canada show. The physical and mental consequences of loneliness have been well documented in research. Loneliness and isolation make a person , according to a 2015 study. Some research has suggested that the state is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, while others have found it decreases immune system function and worsens sleep quality.
Some have taken issue with the idea of a 鈥減ill for loneliness,鈥� such as cultural historian Fay Bound Alberti, author of A : The History of an Emotion.
鈥淟oneliness is not one thing. It鈥檚 lots of different emotional states. Sometimes it is linked to depression, but not always,鈥� she told CTV News Channel on Tuesday. While depression is often treated with medication, she said loneliness shouldn鈥檛 be treated that way.
鈥淪ometimes when loneliness is chronic and it鈥檚 linked to very severe mental and physical health problems it needs to be addressed in a very medicalized way. But most of the time, loneliness is a life stage that we move through,鈥� she said, calling it a 鈥減inch point of experience.鈥� Historically, loneliness has been proven to have benefits, she added, such as being linked to creativity.
It鈥檚 more vital for lonely people to think about what community means, she said. What inspires them, what fills them with passion.
鈥淲e鈥檙e so focused on individualism,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e focused on personal achievements and competition. We need to think much more about what it feels like to belong and what different kinds of groups we could belong to.鈥�
The lead scientist at the Chicago lab has agreed that the pill is not a catch-all solution.
鈥淲e think about this medication as an adjunct therapy to go along with exercises that you can practice every day when you interact with others," she told the Smithsonian Magazine. 鈥淏ecause the fight with loneliness is a daily fight.鈥�
