 A recent Gallup survey finds one in five people worldwide say they feel lonely. A lot. WTOP Sarah Jacobs reports that there is now medical evidence to show the effects of loneliness can be damaging to our health. Unlike conditions like depression or anxiety disorder, there's no medical criteria to diagnose loneliness. So with that being said, the people who are most at risk include the elderly, people who are disabled or have issues with mobility, members of the LGBTQ community.