Dr Bianca Busch, The College Psychiatrist On How We Can Solve The Loneliness Epidemic Among Young People
An interview with Pirie Jones Grossman
Say hello, back! Yes, if someone says hello, respond. You don’t have to have a long conversation but all of these small interactions can add up to you and the other person feeling seen.
Our youth are facing a loneliness epidemic like never before. They have “social” media, but many are lacking healthy social lives. Many have likes and virtual “friends” but not real live friends. They can text and tweet but not speak and listen and connect. And they are feeling it. Humans were made for real live interaction, and we crave it when we don’t get it, or don’t even know how to go about looking for connection. How can we solve this loneliness epidemic that young people face? As a part of our interview series about the ‘5 Things We Can Each Do Help Solve The Loneliness Epidemic Among Young People ’ we had the pleasure to interview Dr. Bianca Busch.
Dr. Bianca Busch is a psychiatrist specializing in college student and young adult mental health, prioritizing personalized care and holistic treatment approaches. With training from the University of Chicago and Harvard’s Boston Children’s Hospital, she offers a range of therapeutic modalities tailored to address concerns such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Founder of The College Psychiatrist, Dr. Busch pioneers a practice focused on inclusivity and innovation, guiding patients through school stressors, relationship issues, and identity exploration with a commitment to their healing and empowerment.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share your “backstory” with us? What was it that led you to your eventual career choice?
Science has been my favorite subject since elementary school, but it wasn’t until I was in high school and college when I thought about becoming a doctor. While in college, I was introduced to the social sciences and fell in love. I had a long circuitous journey to medicine, but I found that psychiatry encompassed my passion for basic sciences and social sciences. I am able to provide care for the whole body while thinking about the influences a person’s surroundings have on their mental health.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
When I was in Chicago to complete my adult psychiatry residency, we spent time learning at the North Shore Hospital in Evanston. During my one-hour commute from Hyde Park to Evanston, I would study for my exams. You know, mind my own business. One morning, while on the train, I was approached by a man and it appeared as if he was trying to flirt with me. This was about 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning, so being a city girl, I tried my best to ignore him. But that only prompted him to become more and more aggressive. I believe I moved to a different part of the train and he may have even followed me. Finally, we approached our stop, which happened to be the last stop on the line. I hung back to see which direction he was headed in and to make sure he wasn’t going to follow me. When I noticed he was going in a different direction, I made my way to North Shore Hospital. Later that day, to my surprise, as I’m walking around the inpatient unit, who do I see? The man from the train! He was admitted to our unit for psychiatric care.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
At The College Psychiatrist (TCP), we understand the unique journey of being a student is filled with both excitement and challenges. We recognize the courage it takes to seek help, especially when struggling academically, and the frustration of not finding the right support on campus. Often, academic difficulties are misunderstood as solely mental health concerns and vice versa.
To combat testing anxiety, TCP is launching an 8-week, one-on-one program that incorporates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and integrative psychiatry to help college students and adult learners work through test anxiety. Test anxiety is something I experienced throughout my academic studies. However, to avoid being crippled by the condition, I sought professional help and was able to improve my confidence, which allowed me to succeed in my future endeavors.
I am looking forward to utilizing my skills and insight to offer this treatment to other learners who have shared experiences as me. The 8-week program will enable individuals to really relax and access all of their knowledge on test day. In turn, this will allow them to be more confident students.
Can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority on the topic of ‘The Loneliness Epidemic Among Young People’?
As an adolescent, child and adult psychiatrist, I have learned how to properly administer care for the mental health and well-being of people from zero to 100 years old. In addition, I provide therapy and, when necessary, prescribe medicines to my patients.
My training is unique and, at The College Psychiatrists, we take a developmentally informed approach to thinking about the person. I am trained to think about the many things that influence a person’s life. For example when I see patients I take into account their upbringing, who was around when they were a child. Where were they geographically? I think about the social political environments of their past and present. I think about the relationships in their lives and the things that impact those relationships. Has there been any trauma? Are there any medical conditions that impact the way they interact with the world? It’s really a holistic approach. My psychiatry practice has a focus on college students and young adults and I witness first-hand the many things that contribute to the loneliness of my patients.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main focus of our interview. According to this story in the New York Times, loneliness is becoming an increasing health threat not just in the US, but across the world. Can you articulate for our readers 3 reasons why being lonely and isolated can harm one’s health?
According to a review from Hawkley and colleagues in 2010, loneliness can impact both physical and mental health in the following ways:
- Reduced capacity to self-regulate emotions
- Lower levels of immune functioning
- Increase in risk factors for cardiovascular disease
- Depression, psychosis, cognitive decline, and suicide
Based on your experience or research, are children impacted differently than adults by the loneliness epidemic? How?
Yes! Children are equipped with many built-in systems for socialization — they are attending school every day and, oftentimes, are involved in after-school activities. For many children, these activities are coordinated by their parents. However, college students and adults tend to lose this automatic programming when they’re no longer enrolled in school. In college, the extracurricular activities are optional, so you lose parents mandating that you participate in x,y and z activity after school. So, it can be very easy for young adults who have anxiety, or are introverted or shy to not participate in any social activities.
On a broader societal level, in which way is loneliness among our youth harming our communities and society?
We have to think about the implications for community and community building. If young people are lonely and disconnected, we may see a decline in collaboration and a rise in individualism. Collaboration and community beget shared experience and compassion. Will we be a society that is less compassionate? Will we be a society that is less interested in the greater good? Time will reveal the answers to these questions, but I am concerned that our young people may not experience the richness of life that can only be had by creating deep relationships with others.
The irony of having a loneliness epidemic is glaring. We are living in a time where more people are connected to each other than ever before in history. Our technology has the power to connect billions of people in one network, in a way that was never possible. Yet despite this, so many people are lonely. Why is this? Can you share 3 of the main reasons why our young people are facing a loneliness epidemic today? Please give a story or an example for each.
- COVID 19 — During the pandemic, young adults were in high school and early college. They were often in remote school and not seeing anyone outside of their immediate family. If we think with a developmental lens, late adolescence and early adulthood are peak times for identity development and socialization. The in-person experience was missed, thus some of the skills may not have developed.
- Apps — Apps are fantastic and provide access to many things. This is especially important to those who are less able. However, we miss some of the socialization that is inherent in these everyday activities. For example, grocery delivery is convenient, but we have the opportunity to interact with many people when we venture out of the house. For instance, we grocery shop on Sundays and often talk to the florist, the deli persons and our favorite cashiers. Many of whom happen to be young folks, especially the cashiers and baggers. We talk to them about their school activities and plans for the future. My 3-year-old son is a witness to this and may ask them for their names. We are socializing. We get to know them and they get to know us. It’s not a deep or prolonged interaction, but it would be non-existent if I relied solely on grocery delivery.
- Absence of third spaces — Community centers, malls, hair salons (salon suites), libraries, community centers, etc. There has been conversation in the public health/planning sector about the shrinking number of shared spaces that do not require consumption and that are not surveyed for loitering. We have to ask the question, where do young people gather? There is certainly space online and some do feel connected in their online communities. If we want to think about combating loneliness we have to think about creating spaces where people can gather freely.
What signs would you tell parents, friends, or loved ones to look for in young people they think may need help? Can you please explain?
Loneliness can lead to depression. These are all signs that someone may need help:
- Trouble sleeping at night or sleeping too much during the day
- Rapid weight gain or loss
- They are often tearful
- Engaged in a lot of negative self talk
- They have lost interest in their normal activities
- Declining hygiene and appearance
- Thoughts about death (call 911)
Ok. It is not enough to talk about problems without offering possible solutions. In your experience, what are the “5 Things Each Of Us Can Do To Help Solve The Loneliness Epidemic Among Young People?” Please give a story or an example for each.
- Get outside of your house! This applies to everyone. Many young adults and adults are working or going to school from home or are in a hybrid model, which means you may have to intentionally plan activities. That means you will have to seek out a club sport or a community surrounding your hobby. Set a goal to meet up or FaceTime with a friend once per month or more frequently, if possible.
- Say hello! Look up when you are out and about and say hello. I know this practice can be very regional — I am currently living in the South where this is more common. However, even if this isn’t the norm in your city, take a moment and ask your barista how they are doing.
- Say hello, back! Yes, if someone says hello, respond. You don’t have to have a long conversation but all of these small interactions can add up to you and the other person feeling seen.
- Engage with your existing third spaces and advocate for more. Go to your existing third space (library or community center) and see what they have to offer. You may be able to learn a new skill or attend an interesting talk.
- Invite your younger friends to do something. For my entire life, I have been involved in a faith community. This gave me activities to attend as a child and teen. When I moved to new cities, it gave me a way to quickly meet new people of all ages. As a young adult, I made friends with older people, which in some ways seemed easier to do than finding friends my own age. So, if you are now middle aged or older try to find a young person to hang out with. You will both benefit from the relationship.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Community, for the sake of community and not centered around illness, recovery, or commercial interests. I can see that many of my patients’ lives are improved by engaging in a healthy and supportive community. For young people, I would love to see interest-based communities. For example, a plant-lover’s meet up for adults between 20–30 years-old. Or maybe a community center focused on activities for young adults. I think it could help a lot of young people who will become adults and have or influence other young people.
We are blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I would love to have breakfast or brunch with author and motivational speaker, Lisa Nichols. I have long admired her work and positivity. She is a constant motivating force and her story is an inspiration. I would soak up everything and anything she would have to say!
How can our readers further follow your work online?
They can follow on IG, FB, and TT @collegepsychiatrist and on LinkedIn @ Dr. Bianca Busch
Thank you so much for these insights. This was so inspiring, and so important!
Sources:
Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2010). Loneliness matters: A theoretical and empirical review of consequences and mechanisms. Annals of behavioral medicine, 40(2), 218–227.
About The Interviewer: Pirie is a TedX speaker, author and a Life Empowerment Coach. She is a co-host of Own your Throne podcast, inspiring women in the 2nd chapter of their lives. With over 20 years in front of the camera, Pirie Grossman understands the power of storytelling. After success in commercials and acting. She spent 10 years reporting for E! Entertainment Television, Entertainment Tonight, also hosted ABC’s “Every Woman”. Her work off-camera capitalizes on her strength, producing, bringing people together for unique experiences. She produced a Children’s Day of Compassion during the Dalai Lama’s visit here in 2005. 10,000 children attended, sharing ideas about compassion with His Holiness. From 2006–2009, Pirie Co-chaired the Special Olympics World Winter Games, in Idaho, welcoming 3,000 athletes from over 150 countries. She founded Destiny Productions to create Wellness Festivals and is an Advisory Board member of the Sun Valley Wellness Board.In February 2017, Pirie produced, “Love is Louder”, a Brain Health Summit, bringing in Kevin Hines, noted suicide survivor to Sun Valley who spoke to school kids about suicide. Sun Valley is in the top 5% highest suicide rate per capita in the Northwest, prompting a community initiative with St. Luke’s and other stake holders, to begin healing. She lives in Sun Valley with her two children, serves on the Board of Community School. She has her Master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica and is an Executive Life Empowerment Coach, where she helps people meet their dreams and goals! The difference between a dream and a goal is that a goal is a dream with a date on it!
Dr Bianca Busch, The College Psychiatrist On How We Can Solve The Loneliness Epidemic Among Young… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.