Reducing loneliness and social isolation for people with mental health problems

Dr Lloyd-Evans will summarise existing research regarding the prevalence of loneliness and social isolation, their relationship to mental health outcomes, and current evidence regarding interventions to address loneliness. He will then describe a current project he is leading, which involves the development and feasibility testing of a community navigation intervention (a social intervention) for people with complex depression and anxiety, which aims to increase social connections and reduce loneliness. Future directions for research and practice in developing and implementing social interventions in mental health will be considered.

Dr Evans' research interests include: social care and social inclusion, mental health services research, process evaluation and service improvement. He currently co-leads a feasibility study of a community navigation intervention to reduce loneliness for people with depression in secondary care. He manages a research programme on implementation of Crisis Resolution Teams and has collaborated with UCL colleagues on a series of studies on mental health crisis alternatives to hospital admission. He is a registered social worker and has worked in Community Mental Health Teams and forensic rehabilitation services in London.