IFOTES Podcast

Loneliness today is where depression once was: a taboo, especially for the younger generation. While life is looking so good on the surface (social media), yet this 'modern loneliness' is like nothing we have seen before. During my speaking tour I have come across many young people that tell me about their loneliness, and how it can lead to depression, or even suicidal thoughts. Though we call it loneliness, I think it is more about connecting to others. Or the lack thereof. My presentation offers tools for recognizing the early signs of loneliness (depression) in teenagers and young people. As well as strategies for overcoming the stigma related to modern loneliness and pathways to help.

Recorded in Udine 5th July - IFOTES Congress "Leaving loneliness, building relationships"

Metamorphoses story-therapy is based on the concept that there is no situation in life that does not correspond to a story. During the course of the therapy, we find the story with the best fit for the given situation, in which the hero sets forth into the world for the same reasons and seeks to realise the same ambitions as my patient but is better able to overcome the obstacles in his path. The hero of the chosen story is not killed by the dragon or turned to stone but manages to take his journey to its conclusion. The process of therapy leads us to investigate the reasons for a patient failing to overcome the obstacles in his path. In the course of my work, I have told stories to people under the most extraordinary array of circumstances. I have told stories to babies still in the womb, to women in labor, to children yearning to understand the world around them, to teenagers yearning to understand themselves, to young adults fearing both divorce and commitment, to mature men and women, and to the dying. I have told stories at funerals and at weddings. I have told stories in prisons, reform centers, orphanages, institutes for the blind, libraries, banks, schools, university seminars, and hospitals.

Stories have helped me come to know all walks of life, and in each walk of life I have told different stories to people beset with woe, as the circumstances and the person him or herself demanded. For no matter what I come across in life, a moment of joy or sadness, hope or grief, it always reminds me of a story.

Recorded in Udine 6th July - IFOTES Congress "Leaving loneliness, building relationships"

Loneliness has recently jumped to scholars’ attention due to a number of longitudinal studies’ results, showing its impact on health and quality of life of individuals. These evidences brought the UK Government to the appointment of a dedicated ministry. A number of other governments published national reports on this frightening phenomenon and its growing diffusion. All of these initiatives have stimulated the need for better knowledge on loneliness and its consequences on physical and mental health on different gender and age groups. So far, most attention has been dedicated to the problem of older adults; the Italian Psychogeriatric Association has dedicated the date of 15 November of every year to an “End Loneliness Day”. However, younger individuals seem also to appear very vulnerable to loneliness; the extreme isolation of Hikikomori people may well represent its peak representation. This presentation will particularly deal with the mental health side of the phenomenon, emphasising in particular influences on suicidal behaviour, possibly the most extreme consequence of thwarted belongingness. Today, raising awareness on the seriousness of loneliness for an individual’s health and wellbeing appears today of paramount importance. Actions need to be taken at different levels to counteract the consequences of loneliness.

Diego DE LEO - is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatryat Griffith University in Brisbane, where is Director Emeritus of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention. Professor De Leo is Past President of the International Associationfor Suicide Prevention and co-founder and Past President of the International Academy for Suicide Research of which he co-founded the journal Archives of Suicide Research. Prof. De Leo is the Editor Emeritus of the journal Crisisand has been the initiator of the World Suicide Prevention Day (2003). Presently, he is Vice-President of the Italian Psychogeriatric Association, head of the Slovene Centre for Suicide Research, and director of the Department of Psychology, University of Primorska, Slovenia.

Recorded in Udine 5th July - IFOTES Congress "Leaving loneliness, building relationships"

L’intervento verte sul tema della solitudine nell’anziano, esplorando dapprima l’entità del fenomeno, per poi riflettere sulle conseguenze della solitudine per la salute mentale, con particolare riferimento alla depressione nell’anziano, e sugli effetti benefici che possono essere ottenuti attraverso la stimolazione dell’attività fisica e di interventi di socializzazione.

Matteo BALESTRIERI - Professore ordinario di Psichiatria, Università di Udine (IT). Direttore della Scuola di Specializzazione in Psichiatria, Università di Udine. Direttore della Clinica Psichiatrica, ASUIUD, Udine. Direttore Corso di Laurea di Educazione Professionale, Università di Udine. 

Recorded in Udine 4th July - IFOTES Congress "Leaving loneliness, building relationships"

Einsamkeit hat viele Facetten – von der gesuchten, positiv besetzten Einsamkeit (Einsiedelei) bis zur schmerzenden Einsamkeit im Verlassensein von anderen oder der Ausgrenzung durch Verlust und/oder Krankheit.In besonderem Maße interessiert uns, was das Thema der Einsamkeit mit dem der Langeweile zu tun hat. Auch Langeweile ist manchmal nützlich - Langeweile kann aber auch ein quälender Zustand sein. Als Psychiater interessiert uns ferner, was die Langeweile/Einsamkeit mit psychischem Kranksein zu tun haben und welche negativen, überdrüssigen, quälenden und auch schädigenden Gefühle und Handlungen z.B. aus der Langeweile entstehen. In dieses Problemfeld gehört die Melancholie und ihr Zusammenhang mit der Langweile. Mit den Themen Einsamkeit und Langeweile hängt auch die Entstehung und Symptomatik von depressiven Erkrankungen und Ängsten zusammen. Auch damit wird sich der Vortrag beschäftigen.Wichtiges Handwerkszeug in der Wahrnehmung von Leere, Einsamkeit und Langeweile im Gegenüber (z.B. im Rahmen der Tätigkeit in der TS) ist die analytische Lehre von Übertragung/Gegenübertragung. Dabei werden im Kontakt mit betroffenen Menschen auch eigene Ängste vor Langeweile, Einsamkeit und Leere berührt. Auch diese analytische Technik wird in dem Vortrag gestreift werden.Wir planen, den Vortrag zu zweit zu halten – in einem hoffentlich nützlichen und das Verständnis erhöhenden Dialog.

Recorded in Udine 5th July - IFOTES Congress "Leaving loneliness, building relationships"

Cette conférence interroge les pratiques d’écoute électronique conduites par bon nombre d’associations de prévention du suicide. Elle s’appuie sur une recherche empirique menée depuis quelques années sur plusieurs milliers d’échanges entre des malheureux en proie à des idées suicidaires et des services associatifs d’écoute. La conférence s’intéressera à la façon dont la société s’organise pour prendre en charge la souffrance sociale au travers notamment de la multiplication des dispositifs d’écoute. Il s’agira alors de se demander comment les dispositifs d’aide à distance configurent un cadre d’interprétation de la souffrance et quelle est sa négativité. Nous tenterons de construire un certain regard sur la fatigue et la souffrance et en particulier sur sa performativité politique. Nous montrerons comment ce potentiel politique se heurte aux pratiques de soin qui, au lieu d’aider le sujet à se retrouver avec lui-même, ont tendance à enfermer le sujet dans l’identique.

Romain HUËT - est maitre de conferences en sociologie de la communication à l’université Rennes II. Il est également chercheur associé à la foundation des sciences de l’Homme à Paris. Il a dirigé plusieurs recherches scientifiques sur la question de la souffrance ordinaire et des dispositifs d’écoute et de prévention du suicide. Il s’intéresse particulièrement aux modalités d’expression de soi sur les chats, messageries et téléphones. Il tente de penser l’articulation entre la fatigue, l’épuisement, la souffrance et sa portée politique. Lauréat de l’Agence National de la Recherche (2018), il dirige un programme sur une anthropologie de la violence (guerre, guérillas, émeutes) ce qui lui permet d’approcher le devenir haine/violence de la souffrance.

Recorded in Udine 5th July - IFOTES Congress "Leaving loneliness, building relationships"

Il termine giapponese hikikomori significa letteralmente “stare in disparte” è viene utilizzato per riferirsi a coloro che si isolano dal mondo sociale per mesi e anni, autorecludendosi nella propria abitazione e tagliando ogni contatto diretto con l’esterno. Si tratta soprattutto di giovani maschi, fragili a livello relazionale e ipercritici nei confronti di una società nella quale arrivano a non riconoscersi più come parte integrante. In Giappone tale fenomeno ha assunto dimensioni allarmanti, con oltre mezzo milione di casi accertati, ma i numeri sembrano essere in crescita in molte nazioni economicamente sviluppate, tra cui l’Italia, dove l’associazione nazionale Hikikomori Italia stima ci siano almeno 100.000 casi potenziali. Nonostante la sua diffusione, il fenomeno è tuttavia ancora poco conosciuto e coloro che ne soffrono si sentono spesso soli e incompresi nel proprio disagio. Durante il mio intervento farò una panoramica di quello che è il fenomeno dell’isolamento sociale giovanile in Italia, presentando anche i primi dati statistici raccolti su un campione di 288 genitori provenienti da tutto il paese. Inoltre, cercherò di sfatare quelli che sono i falsi miti che aleggiato attorno a questa problematica che troppo spesso viene confusa con la dipendenza da internet, con la depressione o con altre psicopatologie.

Recorded in Udine 5th July - IFOTES Congress "Leaving loneliness, building relationships"

Despite social isolation and loneliness represent serious public health concerns, relatively little is known about evidence-based behavioral interventions that can help in dealing with these critical individual and social aspects. Recent evidence, however, suggests that mindfulness-meditation and mindfulness-based interventions, with their present-moment awareness and openness/acceptance fundamental components, may promote better social-relationship functioning and reduce loneliness.

After a general introduction to mindfulness-meditation and mindfulness-based interventions, the lecture will focus on their effects on individual and social pain and on loneliness.

Recorded in Udine 6th July - IFOTES Congress "Leaving loneliness, building relationships"

Article by Diana Rucli IFOTES director, read by Tina Duvivier

Durch seineGesprächskunst will Sokra

Salvatore LAVECCHIA -  (1971) ist Professor für Antike Philosophieund Dozent innerhalb des Masters “Meditazione e Neuroscienze Cognitive” ader Universität von Udine (I). Er veröffentlichteeinige Monographien zu Platon (Una via che conduce al divino. La homoiôsis theôi nella filosofia di Platone, Milano 2006; Oltre l'Uno ed i Molti. Bene ed Essere nella filosofia di Platone, Milano 2010; Generare la luce del bene. Incontrare veramente Platone, Bergamo 2015). Neueste Buchpublikation: Ichsamkeit. Verdichtungen (Kassel 2018). Forschungsschwerpunkte: Lichtmetaphysik, antike Ästhetik, Philosophie des Selbst, das sokratische Gespräch und seine Präsenz in Coaching und Counselling.

Recorded in Udine 6th July - IFOTES Congress "Leaving loneliness, building relationships"