 or general anxiety disorder. ABC News medical contributor Dr. Alec Patel says people most at risk tend to be elderly, people with mobility challenges, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community. It's basically people who feel like, hey, where is my tribe? And decades of research shows all this loneliness can pose serious health risks. Patel says illnesses linked to loneliness include heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and mental illness. One researcher said, and I quote, loneliness is a fertilizer for other diseases to grow on.