Adult loneliness has been labeled a public health epidemic. It is estimated that between one-third and half of the U.S. adult population experiences loneliness. In extremes, loneliness can lead to mental health problems (e.g., depression, suicidal ideation) and even impact physical health. The most vulnerable group is young adults, although children also experience loneliness.
What Are the Treatments for Loneliness?
There are a number of psychological interventions for those experiencing loneliness. For example, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy helps individuals rethink and reframe how they think about and approach social interactions.
Psychodynamic therapy tries to uncover the underlying causes of feelings of loneliness. This treatment may focus on uncovering the early life and deep-seated causes of social isolation — increasing self-awareness and processing negative emotions.
Another type of treatment for lonely individuals is social skills training that focuses on developing and improving social interaction skills. This may include practicing and role-playing social situations, and connecting with others through safe, structured interactions and the use of support groups. Such training may be more effective for children and younger adults who can build broader relationship skills for the future.
From the field of medicine, a doctor may prescribe antidepressants that help reduce the anxiety associated with feelings of loneliness, and ideally, couple that with some counseling.
How Effective Are These Loneliness Interventions?
A recent meta-analysis (Lasgaard, et al., 2026) examined the effectiveness of various loneliness treatment programs and looked at both short-term and long-term effects of the different types of programs. This analysis looked at 280 studies.
The most effective intervention strategies for reducing loneliness were the psychological interventions, which had moderate to high positive effect sizes. Social and emotional skill training was also effective in reducing loneliness, although the effects were not as strong as the psychological interventions. Next, were social support strategies with small to moderate effects on reducing loneliness. Importantly, these various treatment strategies seemed to reduce loneliness in both the short term and in more long-term follow-up studies. Interestingly, when looking at different age groups, there were no significant differences – the treatments seemed to be equally effective for people of all ages.
While these results are encouraging, suggesting that there are good strategies for combatting loneliness, these treatments may not work in every case. More research is needed. A more important issue may be that many people who suffer from loneliness may not get any treatment, either because they are not motivated to seek help, or lack financial resources. If you, or someone you know, is experiencing loneliness (or depression/anxiety) treatments are available, including resources available through Psychology Today.
To find a therapist, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.