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Psychiatry

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Background

Loneliness affects us all. A recent national survey found that over a quarter of adults wished they had more friends, whilst recent projects like the 'Campaign to End Loneliness' have highlighted the importance of doing more to combat social isolation. Though everyone experiences loneliness from time to time, feeling lonely and struggling to develop meaningful and lasting relationships can be particularly difficult for those with complex mental health problems.

When compared to the general population, people with mental health problems report having less contact with family and friends. In fact, up to 40% of those with depression report feeling lonely most of the time. This is important as there are an increasing number of studies highlighting links between loneliness and both physical and mental health problems. Loneliness leads to shorter life expectancy, with an effect that is greater than obesity or inactivity and similar to that of smoking. We also know that loneliness both increases a person's chance of becoming depressed or anxious but also reduces their chances of a speedy recovery. For these reasons, loneliness is increasingly recognised as a public health priority.

Many promising approaches have been developed in recognition of the need to do more to combat loneliness such as "navigators" "social prescribers" and "well-being coaches". However there is a need for more research which tests the efficacy of these interventions, generating good quality evidence about what can reduce loneliness and why. In addition, most existing programmes of navigation support have been integrated with Primary Care through GP referrals. How welcome or effective this type of support would be for service users within secondary mental health services is unknown. Our Community Navigator Study aims to contribute to this evidence base.

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