Our Story

Welcome to the loneliness doctor, a safe place that hopes to inspire connection

During the past three years working as an emergency department doctor, I began to notice a recurring theme among patients. Regardless of the medical complaint they presented with, many were lonely.
It wasn’t that they were necessarily attending because they were lonely — but often, they had no one to listen to them or sit with them when they felt suicidal, frightened about their health, or unable to cope at home. That’s when I started to realise something that’s been recognised since ancient Greece: social connection is essential to health.

I discovered that listening, understanding, and connection were often the most powerful interventions in the emergency room.
For well over half the patients I saw, simply listening was the most important — and sometimes the only — treatment they needed.

Loneliness isn’t unique to people in emergency departments. It’s all around us, every day.
We all experience loneliness at times, and we all need connection. In Australia, one third of the population reports feeling chronically lonely — yet only 38% have opened up to someone about it. I believe it’s time that statistic changed.

As a doctor, I now believe the most important thing I can do for health is to help open the conversation about loneliness — and I hope this creates a safe space to do so.
Meaningful connection isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity for our health.