want someone to talk to?

There is a phone service you can call and talk to someone. It's not free but it's way cheaper than a therapist- they are smart people who have a lot of life experience and understanding- maybe they can help you work out your problems, maybe they can't- but sometimes the first step out of loneliness and isolation is just TALKING to someone who is really listening and responding to you- as in hearing an actual voice as opposed to typing into a computer screen.

And unlike psychologist, its easy to talk to that person everyday or whenever you need to. It is a way of learning to communicate and practice conversation, something a lot of lonely, isolated people have trouble with.

anyway, it is called Confidants Inc.  if you type "confidantsinc" and "what we are" in quotation marks into a search engine you can find it and see if you think it might help you.

Or they can just talk to people on the forum or in the chat room. You know, where it's FREE.

Assuming you're in the United States, don't you have a service analogous to Australia's Lifeline, Men's Line, Beyond Blue, etc? Free, and staffed by volunteers. They're not perfect. I used Lifeline and Men's Line last year when I was in the hole (around the time I joined here), and they are a little limited in what they can do, and it's probably better to pay for a counsellor, but they have training, and they're a good bunch. It can work.

If chatrooms and online forums work for you that's great. But in some cases sitting at the computer posting about loneliness and isolation is really only leading to more loneliness and isolation. Actually talking to someone -as in actually speaking and hearing a voice in return is a much different experience because:

1) the brain is much more motivated and energized by real interactive and immediate conversation than it is typing into the vast abyss of cyberspace and it is motivation and energy that inspires and leads to action- it is action that is required for anyone to even start to lift him or herself out of the mire of loneliness and isolation.

2) one also is picks up the energy of the person they are speaking to which again, can motivate one to take the action needed to change one's life.

3) people who are lonely and lack social skills need to practice vocal verbal interaction- learn the art of conversation- and you can't get that by posting online- it's as simple as that.

As for calling free lifelines - there are dozens services like that in the U.S. that anyone can find with a simple search on the internet and these absolutely should be utilized first because if they can help you consistently there is no sense in spending even just a few dollars on a service.

But here is the thing: volunteers usually have to stick to a particular script and will be instructed not to give personal advice. Therapists also are restricted as far as what they can say, how much direction they can provide and they cannot give you direct advice or their real opinions about a situation or share with you their own experiences which might give you insight into what you are going through. They can't be completely honest about what they think. They can't give you the kick in the pants you might need to get out of a rut. And most of the time they are comparatively very expensive.

Anyway I would prefer someone with a wide breadth of experience who has struggled with the same issues I have who has knowledge of psychology to to a college student volunteering on a helpline or a therapist recently graduated from an academic program with little life experience.

The chat room has voice chat, as well...

Can confirm. It's true.

There is even this thing called Skype that lets people who want to talk to you do so for free. The emphasis is on the " people who want to talk to you", obviously.

I really think this should be replaced by a network of people looking to talk with other people, under a scheme of depression or loneliness or this kind of things related, see whos online and who wants to chat, for free, it could be possible.