IMPORTANCE
According to the United States Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, the U.S. is facing a loneliness epidemic. In 2023, Murthy raised concerns about loneliness in the U.S. through a Surgeon General Advisory. He referred to loneliness as a “public health crisis,” more widespread than smoking, diabetes, and anxiety, and needing to be treated with urgency.
A study done by the Cigna Corporation, a healthcare insurance company, estimates that loneliness affects one in two adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 42 percent of teenagers experience persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
Berkeley High School has many mental health resources in place for students who might be struggling with loneliness or other mental health issues, such as the Wellness Center, the Health Center, and mental health counselors.
In December of 2023, BHS officially opened the Wellness Center, made in partnership between the City of Berkeley and Berkeley Unified School District. This 2024-25 school year will be its first full year of operation. The Wellness Center provides a space for students to go when feeling overwhelmed, lonely, lost, or just wanting a break.
Loriann Casillas, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator for BUSD, explained the Wellness Center's emphasis on helping students form connections. “A student should have on campus 10 to 15 trusted adults and a group of friends that they can go to. And if they don't have that, then I'm wondering why, and what's preventing that, and then how can we support creating those connections,” Casillas said.
ACADEMIC PRESSURE
There are many things that can contribute to feeling detached from your community. Casillas cited grades, social media, and the school's lunch culture all as possible contributors to feelings of loneliness at BHS.
“I've noticed when grades are posted, for instance marking period grades, there seems to be an influx of students who want to check in (to the Wellness Center),” Casillas said.
Fatemeh Mizbani is an AP Chemistry teacher at BHS. She explained that she recognizes the role that academic pressure plays in loneliness for some students. Mizbani explained that she's noticed that many students who are struggling academically begin isolating themselves, which she said can lead to falling even further behind in class.
Her advice for students struggling with grades affecting their mental health is to come to her lunch tutorials, and “try to make friends with people who are struggling.” She stressed the importance of finding common ground with other students.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Aside from grades, social media can also play a role in student isolation, Rosie Silverberg, a sophomore at BHS, explained, "Social media definitely affects loneliness, because when you're on social media you can see what all your peers are doing, see what your friends are doing, and that can definitely make you feel lonely, especially if you weren't maybe invited to those things."
This is supported by studies such as one performed by Brian A. Primack of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, which found that young adults in the U.S. with high social media usage seem to feel more socially isolated than their counterparts with lower social media usage.
LUNCH CULTURE
Every day, Mizbani and many other teachers offer their classrooms to students needing extra help or study time. The Wellness Center does the same, allowing students a space to eat, away from the usual busy lunch atmosphere of BHS’ off-campus eating arrangements.
BHS's lunch structure can be stressful for some students. One student, who chose to stay anonymous for privacy reasons, stated how freshman year lunch was difficult for them, and overwhelming at times. As someone who came from a private school, they found it hard to schedule lunch plans for every day of the week but didn’t want to be seen eating lunch alone.
“The school is so big, you're always going to see people," the student said. “You don't want to be walking around alone … that can be scary for some people.”
“It's kind of looked down upon to eat lunch alone. But it really shouldn't be," Benjamin Vu, a BHS sophomore, said.
Silverberg said how many students, including herself, would “be fine eating alone and just listening to music and just having a rest hour, but they wouldn't want other kids and their peers to see them eating lunch alone.”
Both Silverberg and Vu expressed that they don’t think eating lunch alone would make them feel lonely, but they wouldn’t want anyone to perceive them as people who are. At a school like BHS, which serves an approximated 3,200 students as stated by BUSD's website, different students will have varying experiences. Some might find it easy to fly under the radar, and others believe it hard to ever get a moment to themselves.
ISOLATION IN A LARGE SCHOOL
heard many similar sentiments from students. She explained that part of the wellness center's goal is to “provide a space for people … so they don't feel like eyes are on them when they're alone.”
While there’s no shortage of students at BHS, many still experience feelings of loneliness. "The thing about BHS and making friends is, in order to do that, you have to really put yourself out there, and it's hard for a lot of students to do that," Silverberg said.
Students and staff recommended joining clubs or a team as a way to build connections.
“Meeting people through sports and clubs is definitely very different than your friends in your classes. You just spend a lot more time with them, and you're able to develop a stronger bond,” Silverberg said.
Even while at a big school like BHS, which has many resources available to students, it can still be hard to reach out. This is one of the reasons Murthy released the Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community.
“We are called to build a movement to mend the social fabric of our nation. It will take all of us,” Murthy wrote in a letter at the preface of the advisory, listing schools, among other groups, as needing to be a part of the movement to change. Murthy urged everyone to continue taking steps towards strengthening connections and relationships.
“There is a stigma around mental health, and we're trying to destigmatize that,” Casillas said. Referring to the recent opening of the Wellness Center, she added, “the strides BHS has made are impressive, and a model too, not only to the county, but also the state.”
Help is Available
The Health Center: (510)-644-6965
Room H-105
Open during school hours, Mon-Fri, with the exception of 12:30-1:15 p.m. each day.
Counseling: Reach out to your counselor through their email: [email protected]
The Wellness Center: Room H-104
Open Mondays from 10:10-3:23 and Tue-Fro from 8:40-3:23
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME, to 741741 for free, confidential, 24/7 support