FOR many Singaporeans, the pandemic was a time of reckoning. And even though the country has moved past that period of mandatory isolation, the scars linger.

`This persistence of loneliness post-Covid-19 could be due to several factors, such as altered interaction patternsin schoolor the workplace, including the increased prevalence of virtual or remote interactions,` says Dr Wong Chin Yi, the research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Social Lab studies social mobility, well-being and inclusivity.

People are also becoming more aware of the different types of loneliness after the Covid-19 period shone the spotlight on mental health conditions. Beyond physical isolation, one might also feel emotionally detached that is, unseen, unappreciated or misunderstood -despite being sur-rounded by people.

`That type of loneliness has been receiving increasingly more attention in my clinic.

People are more able to put words to the experience and are willing to be vulnerable enough to be connected to that experience,` says Dr Annabelle Chow, principal clinical psychologist at Annabelle Psychology, a private clinic. What does loneliness look like? As these feelings become more pervasive, the face of loneliness is changing.

Mr Lin Xiangbin, senior clinical psychologist at Better Life Psychological Medicine Clinic, says: `Traditionally, loneliness was often associated with specific profiles, such as individuals with fewer friends or those who were single.

`However, due to factors like increased work demands and reduced face-to-face interactions, loneliness can now affecta wider range of people, including those who might not typically be considered lonely.

That includes successful working adults with extensive social and professional networks, as well as individuals who are married or in a relationship. Content creator Jessica Loh, 32, has accepted that there are parts of her life her boyfriend and friends will never fully understand.

She is still working through the familial trauma she suffered in childhood and finds it difficult to tell her friends about it, because she does not want to `put that weight on them`.

`When I tell my boyfriend about my trauma, he feels bad for me, but he doesn`t understand because he hasn`t been through anything remotely similar. So, it can be even more isolating than not sharing about my problems at all,` she says.His role, she figures, is to offer a listening ear and suggest actions she can take to mitigate her hurt. But her inner trauma is something only she and her therapist can deal with.

Butnoteveryonegetsthesupport he or she needs from his or her other half. While spouses or partners are usually expected to provide companionship, the gulf between expectation and reality can instead send some on a downward spiral of disillusionment.

Dr Geraldine Tan, principal psychologist at The Therapy Room, a centre offering psychological services and therapeutic interventions, has observed more married individuals coming forward to seek help.

`They`re being told they`re bad at taking care of the house or looking after the children, so they don`t feel valued at home. They tell me they`re not being heard,they`re taken for granted. Communication has broken down, so they feel lonely in their marriage.` Dr Chow calls loneliness in marriages `an insidious virus` that affects one in three patients.

`One example is that new mothers usually tell me they feel very lonely, because they`re up at night looking after the baby and breastfeeding, while the father is sleeping and snoring. But the husband might say, `I`m trying my best. I`m doing all these things and I didn`t know it still wasn`t enough.

Even the young, who have yet to experience the trials of married life or the existential dread of old age, are not spared the grip of loneliness.

An IPS poll released in early 2024 found that youth aged 21 to 34 are more likely to report higher levels of socialisolation and loneliness.-The Straits Times/ANN