Episode 29 (Jan 2024) Deaths of Despair: Isolation and Despondency

ContentWarning: This episode includes discussions about mental health, addiction, and suicide. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling with these issues, please seek professional help. It is important to prioritize your well-being and the well-being of those around you.

In this episode, we get serious about a serious problem: despondency and despair across all age groups – middle age, young adults and seniors too. For example, going against all the statistical norms, people in their middle ages are increasingly dying from suicide, drug overdoses and alcohol related illnesses. First observed in middle aged white men, the trend is now seen across gender and racial boundaries. The one predictive factor? The deaths are rising in those without 4 year college degrees. For older adults, social isolation or loneliness is associated with a 50% increased risk of developing dementia. And among youth, post-pandemic statistics point to a decrease in loneliness, but overall levels of depression have not fallen as much as one would hope. What’s the possible connection to our information-overloaded and increasingly online and technologically-mediated world? And most importantly, what can library and information professionals and institutions do to help?

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