What Social Issues Cause Loneliness and Should Doctors Treat It?

Dr. Kelly MacArthur is a medical sociologist on a mission. She argues that loneliness is a result of racial, gender, and class inequality, from comparing ourselves to those more fortunate and feeling a distinct brand of shame, where we see ourselves as different and not part of the masses. She wants to eliminate these root causes—a noble idea if there ever was one. But in the meantime, she says, doctors need to screen for loneliness.