who is the surgeon general 2023

The advisory lays out a framework for a National Strategy to Advance Social Connection, which provides recommendations for individuals, governments, workplaces, health systems, and community organizations that aim to increase social connection and improve overall health. Americas top physician, Dr. Vivek Murthy, offers advice on how to build meaningful social connections in an increasingly lonely world. Pennsylvania created the position of "physician general" in 1996. But there are none in the states most rural and remote areas. Advisories are reserved for issues deemed significant public health challenges that "need the American people's immediate attention," according to a statement from Murthy, who has spoken openly of his own experiences with loneliness in the past. Teenagers and adults reported being online almost constantly but across all ages had fewer friends and in-person interactions. The advisory cites polls from the 1970s in which 45% of Americans said they could reliably trust other Americans. This is far more than just affecting our emotional well-being, but truly affecting our health.. Alex DeMarban is a longtime Alaska journalist who covers business, the oil and gas industries and general assignments. But as the advisory points out, the issue had been ticking up since the 1970s for a myriad of reasons, including changes in social norms, built environments and, of course, technology. NOTIFICATION NO: 11/MRB/2022 DATE:26.06.2023 ASSISTANT SURGEON (GENERAL) Medical Services Recruitment B oard conducted the Computer Based Examination for the post of Assistant Surgeon (General) on 25.04.2023 in 2 batches . Theres an ailment linked to increased heart attacks, depression, diabetes, crime and premature death in the US, and its affecting people no matter where they live or who they are: loneliness. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Loneliness is a Health Crisis, Surgeon General Says. Here's How to A new advisory outlines how a national strategy could tackle the problem of loneliness in the United States. The surgeon generals outline noted recent surveys show some of the highest rates of loneliness are among young adults, and rates are increasing annually since 1976. Surgeon (General) has been published in the MRB Website. Toll Free Call Center: 1-877-696-6775, Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other news materials are available at, Content created by Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Surgeon General Issues New Advisory About Effects Social Media Use Has on Youth Mental Health, HHS Awards $31.5 Million in Behavioral Health Grants for Children, Youth and Young Adults, HHS Issues Advisory on Mental Health Symptoms and Conditions Related to Long COVID, HHS Publishes National Model Standards for Substance Use, Mental Health, and Family Peer Worker Certifications, The HHS Office for Civil Rights Celebrates National Recovery Month. Reach him at 907-257-4317 or alex@adn.com. Focus on the conversation, he said. The Surgeon Generals Advisory on Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation lays out a framework for a National Strategy to Advance Social Connection, which has never been implemented before in the United States. An epidemic of loneliness is plaguing Americans, jeopardizing well-being, health and sense of belonging. Given the profound consequences of loneliness and isolation, we have an opportunity, an obligation, to make the same investments in addressing social connection that we have made in addressing tobacco use, obesity and the addiction crisis, U.S. Today, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new Surgeon General Advisory calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country. It also comes as the federal government is investing $1 billion to increase access to high-speed Internet across the state. The advisory comes on the back of numerous studies in recent years that warn of the mental and physical dangers of loneliness. The Providence system in Alaska has many services to support behavioral health, but the pediatric medical units are overwhelmed, and patients are waiting days to receive the right care, she said. Read on about our current priorities. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The country is facing a crisis that its never experienced before: loneliness, isolation and negative messages on social media that could lead to suicide attempts by young people. Advisories are U.S. Army Medical Command | MEDCOM Surgeon General of the United States - Wikipedia This is medically relevant, said Holt-Lunstad, founding scientific chair of the U.S. We get that feeling of community, she said. While the epidemic of loneliness and isolation is widespread and has profound consequences for our individual and collective health and well-being, there is a medicine hiding in plain sight: social connection. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Charlotte Cruikshank, a Dimond High School student with Mental Health Advocacy Through Storytelling, a youth-led group that works to increase access to mental health resources, said students are not really taught about how to deal with mental health issues. Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health. And as this Surgeon Generals Advisory makes clear, we as physicians and healers have a responsibility to be part of the effort to do so. Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., CEO and Medical Director, American Psychiatric Association. Communities where residents are more connected with one another fare better on several measures of population health, community safety, community resilience when natural disasters strike, prosperity, and civic engagement. We dont have to put on airs, he said. Among the benefits, adolescents report that social media helps them feel more accepted (58%), like they have people who can support them through tough times (67%), like they have a place to show their creative side (71%), and more connected to whats going on in their friends lives (80%). Meanwhile, the surgeon general said he is using his own story about experiencing loneliness to combat the shame that people feel when they experience isolation. Loneliness and social isolation in childhood increase the risk of depression and anxiety both immediately and well into the future. This type of strategy has never been implemented before in the United States. Current Priorities of the U.S. Surgeon General - HHS.gov They are dedicated to ensuring the guidance and management necessary to support the health and well-being of the nation. U.S. Drew Angerer/Getty Images ", U.S. Lisa Parady, executive director of the Alaska Council of School Administrators, said there are great programs for behavioral health in the states urban school systems. While youre at it, scale back on social media. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Your relationships cannot thrive unless they are nurtured. He said that newer ideas like remote working are not always isolating either, often allowing people to spend more time with their children or elderly relatives. Surgeon General of the United States Army, Surgeon General of the United States Navy, Surgeon General of the United States Air Force, Committee of Chiefs of Military Medical Services in NATO, Surgeon-General of the Swedish Armed Forces, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Surgeon_general&oldid=1012445742, This page was last edited on 16 March 2021, at 12:24. Between 2003 and 2020, the time Americans spent alone increased by 24 hours a month, and time with friends in person decreased by 10 hours a month. Others react to loneliness by becoming irritable and angry, and they may lash out more," he said. "When you are alone and disconnected there's more stress, there's more inflammation, there's more anxiety," he said. O ur Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation. We need an approach to help children both on and offline that meets each child where they are while also working to make the digital spaces they inhabit safer and healthier. Usage of social media can become harmful depending on the amount of time children spend on the platforms, the type of content they consume or are otherwise exposed to, and the degree to which it disrupts activities that are essential for health like sleep and physical activity. Simply getting back to normal will not be enough. We are terrified of the statistics that are coming our way, she said. Receive the latest updates from the Secretary, Blogs, and News Releases. More than half of Americans are lonely, according to a 2021 poll, which also found that young adults are almost twice as likely to report feeling lonely as those over age 65. Liu said that the longer a person is disconnected, the easier it is for them to stop believing that others have their interests in mind or that it's possible to find common cause. An epidemic of loneliness is plaguing Americans, jeopardizing well-being, health and sense of belonging. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The nation's surgeon general heard from Alaska mental health care advocates on Monday about the need for more resources to address what they say is a crisis that is leading to more suicides . So when you look at it that way you start to realize that social connection is part of what fuels us, what allows us to show up in our lives and in our communities as whole people.. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. A broken heart is both a physical and a social diagnosis, he told Morning Edition on Wednesday. But instead of accepting the call, you decide not to answer. A report from a Harvard University initiative called Making Caring Common found 6 in 10 young adults and 51% of mothers with young children reported feeling lonely. U.S. If any of you came to me right now and said, My daughter or my child needs mental health care, I would call for hours trying to find you care, and yet were one of the biggest providers in the state of Alaska., [Loneliness poses risks as deadly as smoking, surgeon general warns]. The American Psychological Association applauds the Surgeon General's Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, affirming the use of psychological science to reach clear-eyed recommendations that will help keep our youth safe online. Its a normal part of the human experience and loneliness, in many ways, is like hunger or thirst, Murthy said. The U.S. Official websites use .gov For more information about the Office of the Surgeon General, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/priorities. The disorders have the highest mortality rates of any mental health condition, with many deaths due to suicide, she said. Social media use by young people is pervasive. In addition to our physical health, loneliness and isolation contribute substantially to mental health challenges. Lastly, the recommendations call for the cultivation of a culture of connection, stating that the informal interactions of everyday life can significantly influence social connection. The U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy answered media questions following an Alaska Youth Mental Health Roundtable at the UAA/APU Consortium Library on Monday, June 26, 2023. Its a signal our body sends us when were lacking something we need for survival.. So we really do need to focus on the continuum of care in Alaska, she said. We also are trying launch an urgent care for youth, she said. Attending events with a larger group can cultivate a sense of belonging, Gabriel explained. Do other people do this when speaking with you? The American Academy of Pediatrics looks forward to working with the Surgeon General and other federal leaders on Youth Mental Health and Social Media on this important work. Sandy Chung, M.D., FAAP, President, American Academy of Pediatrics, With near universal social media use by Americas young people, these apps and sites introduce profound risk and mental health harms in ways we are only now beginning to fully understand. When asked about the impact of social media on their body image, 46% of adolescents aged 13-17 said social media makes them feel worse, 40% said it makes them feel neither better nor worse, and only 14% said it makes them feel better. As we grapple with the growing, but still insufficient, research and evidence in this area, we applaud the Surgeon General for issuing this important Advisory to highlight this issue and enumerate concrete steps stakeholders can take to address concerns and protect the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents.We continue to believe in the positive benefits of social media, but we also urge safeguards and additional study of the positive and negative biological, psychological, and social effects of social media. Jack Resneck Jr., M.D., President, American Medical Association, The first principle of health care is to do no harm thats the same standard we need to start holding social media platforms to. During the Covid-19 pandemic, social isolation was exacerbated by school and workplace closures that were in place to stop the spread of the virus. Receive the latest updates from the Secretary, Blogs, and News Releases. For more audio journalism and storytelling, download New York Times Audio, a new iOS app available for news subscribers. University at Buffalo social psychologist Shira Gabriels research shows antidotes to loneliness can be found in simple places. The full Surgeon Generals Advisory can be read here. Those consequences extend to the political and social divides that seem to only be widening in the US. "So we're seeing more forces that take us away from one another and fewer of the forces that used to bring us together," he said. Some public officials since then said schools may have stayed closed too long, prolonging the mental health and other impacts on students. He said that nationally, one in three adolescent girls in 2021 seriously considered suicide. Treatment requires complex medical care, nutritional support and therapy, but theres no in-state eating disorder treatment center, she said. Loyce Pace, MPH Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs (OGA) The Honorable Constance B. Tobias (Bill Roth / ADN). The advisory reported that this was most pronounced in young people aged 15-24 who had 70% less social interaction with their friends. FY 2023 Contingency Staffing Plan; FY 2023 Budget in Brief; FY 2023 Annual Performance Plan and Report; FY 2022 Contingency Staffing Plan; . He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology (with high honors) from the University of California, San Diego and a Doctor of Medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Toll Free Call Center: 1-877-696-6775, Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other news materials are available at, Content created by Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), New Surgeon General Advisory Raises Alarm about the Devastating Impact of the Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation in the United States, HHS Awards $31.5 Million in Behavioral Health Grants for Children, Youth and Young Adults, HHS Issues Advisory on Mental Health Symptoms and Conditions Related to Long COVID, HHS Publishes National Model Standards for Substance Use, Mental Health, and Family Peer Worker Certifications, The HHS Office for Civil Rights Celebrates National Recovery Month. Outside the United States, many governments have equivalent positions but do not make use of the same title. The U.S. surgeon general is nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. Earlier this month, he released a Surgeon Generals Advisory on Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, where he outlined the profound health consequences of social disconnection and laid out six pillars to increase connection across the country, one of which being the need to reform our digital environments. Deepening our knowledge through more robust research into the issue. The Surgeon Generals Advisory calls for just that approach. A Surgeon General's Advisory is a public statement that calls the American people's attention to an urgent public health issue and provides recommendations for how it should be addressed. A lot of people that I encounter, all across the country and even around the world, are craving authenticity, they want to be able to be open with other people, they want other people to be open with them, but it can feel scary to do so, he said. Additionally, 64% of adolescents are often or sometimes exposed to hate-based content through social media. At Gray, our journalists report, write, edit and produce the . He issued an advisory in May to draw attention to social medias impacts on youth mental health. Everyone Says Social Media Is Bad for Teens. Proving It Is Another We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis one that we must urgently address.. Rachel Treisman contributed to this report. Murthy said access to mental health treatment needs to expand. Getty Images They said more education and discussion about the emotional challenges young people face is critical to help inform doctors about signs to look out for and to reduce stigmas that prevent youths from talking about their struggles. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS "We also know that for some kids, being online has been a way to find community at a time when many of them have not been able to," he said. According to the Virginia Department of Taxation, the annual summer sales tax holiday will not be coming back this year in Virginia. hide caption. If we overshoot, were overshooting with regard to protecting our youth.. Imagine your phone ringing. The report cites recent research showing that approximately half of U.S. adults experienced loneliness daily, even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Official websites use .gov Theres a very simple reason: its hard to hate people up close, he said. A State Surgeon General is the operational head and senior spokesperson on public health in a single state of the United States of America, the state equivalent of the Surgeon General of the United States. On Tuesday, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released an advisory detailing a framework toward . State Surgeon General - Wikipedia These changes, coupled with the influx of home delivery and other changes that limit personal interactions, can leave people feeling disconnected. Drew Angerer/Getty Images Across age groups, people are spending less time with each. PDF Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation - HHS.gov Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. For more satisfying quality time, put the devices down and give your full attention. She said some students turn to her or other peers for help, but they need support from professionals. @cdcaron, A version of this article appears in print on, How to Feel Less Lonely, According to the Surgeon General, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/02/well/mind/loneliness-isolation-surgeon-general.html. Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, the surgeon general, has often spoken about the decline in social connection and wrote a book about the subject, "Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a . How often have you caught yourself looking at your phone while someone is speaking with you?

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