Loneliness is a global epidemic. It's time to take it seriously.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy used to talk about loneliness as a public health crisis. Now he says it's an epidemic that urgently needs our attention. The World Health Organization agrees with him. Now as co-chair of its newly appointed Commission on Social Connections, Dr. Murthy has an even bigger platform from which to advocate for change, encouraging us to reach out and ask for help while also offering it to others who may need it. He joins The Excerpt to talk about why this problem is so persistent and what we can do to fix it.