Sheer loneliness is driving thousands of people to call an emergency support hotline “just to have someone to talk to”, official figures show.
A breakdown of the calls made to the 179 support line since 2006, shows how callers were 10 times more likely to call because they were lonely than for drug or alcohol abuse related problems.
Some 10,300 people called the number after feeling unbearably lonely, meaning one in every 10 of the 110,000 calls received by those operating the support telephone lines was from a lonely person.
The 179 support line is a 24-hour free telephone service offered by government agency Aġenzija Appoġġ. It has been run by a team of professionally trained volunteers, under the supervision of Appoġġ professionals, for the past 20 years, and receives dozens of calls every day from people seeking help, from the socially isolated, vulnerable, at risk, and victims of any form of abuse.
The phenomenon of lonely callers reaching out for help is not unique to Malta. The UK headlines last December featured the soul-stirring story of a 95-year-old couple who called 999 because they too just wanted someone to talk to.
The issue of loneliness was also raised locally last Christmas in an interview with Caritas Malta executive director Leonid McKay, who runs a shelter for the lonely. He converted a small Birkirkara townhouse into a drop-in centre offering support for the lonesome.
“There is a strong demand for these services from many different types of people. We see this not only from those who come knocking on our door every day, but also in the way similar services are being taken up by the lonely,” Mr McKay had said.
Asked about the new support line figures, Mr McKay, who has conducted social research touching on loneliness, said he was not surprised by the high number of lonesome callers looking for help.
“Based on the contact we have with people through Caritas it is clear that loneliness is a plague affecting people across all walks of life and which we seldom talk about. Many just want someone to talk to but have no one,” he said.
Mr McKay said many made the mistake of linking loneliness to the elderly, and while older people may be more likely to feel alone, he had encountered several youths and middle-aged people who also struggled with loneliness.
A closer look at the number of calls shows that other common reasons people called were because they felt depressed for some reason or other, 7,085 since 2006, or due to mental health issues, 13,188 calls.
By far the most common reason people called the hotline was simply because they wanted someone to listen to them or they needed simple advice and had nowhere else to get it. A third of all the calls were made for this reason.
Don’t be lonely this Christmas
Christmas can be especially difficult for those who have no one to share it with. Mr McKay said every year Caritas organised a Christmas lunch for the homeless and materially deprived.
The meal attracts some 200 people and caters for those who have nowhere to go. Mr McKay, however, said the meal also drew a large number who simply had no one to share the day with.
“We came across a number of people who did not want to be alone. One woman said she had enough money to feed herself and even brought a donation with her. When asked why she came, she said she couldn’t face another Christmas by herself,” he said.
This year the lunch, held on Christmas day will be organised again. Details on the event will be released soon.