Loneliness of the Marginalized

摘要

This review article provides a bird’s eye view of several population groups that are marginalized, ostracized, and stigmatized. Those include the homeless, the physically disabled, and psychiatric patients, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBTs), and those afflicted with Human immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrom (AIDS). Their condition, how it leads to social isolation and loneliness, and its effects on them, their illness or condition, and their quality of life are described. Interestingly, while all experience loneliness, each group expresses and addresses it differently. Awareness of those unique expressions of loneliness could assist mental health workers in identifying, addressing, and helping the marginalized cope with loneliness.