Loneliness can be as damaging to health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and someone who is clinically lonely can have a life expectancy of 15 years less on average.These are facts mental health experts have known for a while now, but the coronavirus crisis has brought the epidemic of loneliness into sharp focus.Stephen McLellan, chief executive of Recovery Across Mental Health (RAMH), said social isolation has been the biggest problem people have been struggling with since the Covid-19 lockdown came into force.The Paisley-based charity has been helping to support people across Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire suffering from poor mental health through its First Crisis support helpline, and Mr McLellan said he had noticed a surge in the