If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, substance use or other mental health crises please call or text 988. Washington, D.C. 20201 Being with other people, even people who are strangers, is really important for a sense of social connection and for a sense of well-being and, in a sense, that life is meaningful. Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately half of U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness. According to the Virginia Department of Taxation, the annual summer sales tax holiday will not be coming back this year in Virginia. Simply getting back to normal will not be enough. You tell yourself youll call back later when you have more time to chat. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March 2021 to serve as the 21st Surgeon General of the United States as a returning role. US Surgeon General calls for action regarding the ongoing 'epidemic of Recent research shows half of U.S. adults experienced loneliness daily. Now is the moment for policymakers, companies and experts to come together and ensure social media is set up safety-first, to help young users grow and thrive. Deepening our knowledge through more robust research into the issue. Dr. Vivek Murthy said he was in Alaska at the invitation of Sen. Dan Sullivan to learn how Alaska is dealing with the rising rates of isolation and depression that are affecting young people nationwide. 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. She said research suggests the happiest people are those who have a healthy, personalized mix of those nontraditional sources of social connection as well as traditional sources, such as close relationships. Eric Liu, the CEO of Citizen University a Seattle-based nonprofit that aims to build community and civic awareness nationwide isn't surprised by the effect of loneliness on "the body and the body politic.". Enacting pro-connection public policies at every level of government, including things like accessible public transportation or paid family leave. Getty Images Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA | HHS.gov The physical health consequences of poor or insufficient connection include a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32% increased risk of stroke, and a 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and U.S. Others include to "enact pro-connection public policies;" mobilize the health sector; deepen knowledge (of social disconnection); and cultivate a culture of connection. 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. "And that has effects not only on the body but the ways in which we see each other in community and feel connected to one another.". It highlights that a lack of social connection can present significant health risks, as loneliness can increase risk of premature death by 26% and social isolation by 29%, according to a meta-analysis cited in the advisory. At Gray, our journalists report, write, edit and produce the . Right now, millions of people are telling us through their stories and statistics that their tank is running on empty when it comes to social connection, he said. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS ", "And you can feel lonely even if you have a lot of people around you, because loneliness is about the quality of your connections. A broken heart is both a physical and a social diagnosis, he told Morning Edition on Wednesday. Michigan had their first surgeon general in 2003, followed by Arkansas and . Vivek Murthy, the US surgeon general, says loneliness has to be a public health priority on par with tobacco and obesity. Additionally, 64% of adolescents are often or sometimes exposed to hate-based content through social media. We cant be absolutely sure. Surgeon General's Advisory on the . In the new advisory, he calls on the nation to strengthen its social fabric and to prioritize meaningful relationships. Senate confirms Dr. Vivek Murthy as US surgeon general 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. New Surgeon General Advisory Raises Alarm about the Devastating Impact 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. Those brief in-person interactions can make us feel good for a long time because we are hard-wired to connect, Dr. Murthy said. Within minutes, theyre bombarded with sites promoting eating disorders or discussing suicides, she said. But there are none in the states most rural and remote areas. Some public officials since then said schools may have stayed closed too long, prolonging the mental health and other impacts on students. While social media may offer some benefits, there are ample indicators that social media can also pose a risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. But there is hope. According to the report, insufficient social connection has also been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, anxiety, depression and dementia. She said some students turn to her or other peers for help, but they need support from professionals. Huang. 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. US surgeon general hears from 'terrified' providers about Alaska youth Those consequences extend to the political and social divides that seem to only be widening in the US. 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. The U.S. Army Surgeon General and Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Command Lieutenant General R. Scott Dingle Social media use by young people is pervasive. A new advisory outlines how a national strategy could tackle the problem of loneliness in the United States. 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. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy says the rapid pace of life has increased the problem of loneliness. Today, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new Surgeon General's Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health - PDF. Floyd Hutchison The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. UVA Health initiative working to improve communicating with Spanish-only speakers, UVA upgrades Pegasus helicopter to help save more lives, Lawsuit filed against Governor Youngkin over law stripping felons of voting rights, Virginias summer sales tax holiday is not returning for 2023, Morning Rush: New Virginia Laws | Ty Jerome in Town | Landline Survey. Loneliness is linked to an increased risk for anxiety and depression, heart disease, dementia and other health problems, as well as early death. U.S. Recent research shows that adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety; yet one 2021 survey of teenagers found that, on average, they spend 3.5 hours a day on social media. Surgeon General of the United States - Wikipedia As the Surgeon General has pointed out throughout his tenure, we all have a role to play in addressing the youth mental health crisis that we now face as a nation. Advisories are 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. From left, Dr. Anne Zink, chief medical officer for the state of Alaska, U.S. FY 2023 Contingency Staffing Plan; FY 2023 Budget in Brief; FY 2023 Annual Performance Plan and Report; FY 2022 Contingency Staffing Plan; . 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. But instead of accepting the call, you decide not to answer. 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. 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. Murthys visit comes as Congress looks to shape legislation to limit control of social media use such as Instagram among teens and pre-teens, believed to be a contributor to the issue. Advisories are reserved for significant public health challenges that need the American people's immediate attention. Murthy, who has written about his own personal experience with loneliness and feeling isolated for several years, said the pandemic has brought the disruption of social cohesion to the forefront. 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. They said funding for prevention and earlier intervention is needed to stop crises from arising. Lacking social connection has the same health consequences as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day or drinking six alcoholic beverages a day, according research by Holt-Lunstad, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University. 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. Surgeon general - Wikipedia All rights reserved. Trained crisis counselors are available for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our Priorities 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. Huppert said shes never seen such a crisis in two decades of working at the organization. The advisory raises the alarm on the issue. Should every US state have its own surgeon general? California latest Disconnection fundamentally affects our mental, physical, and societal health. We move more, we change jobs more often, we are living with technology that has profoundly changed how we interact with each other and how we talk to each other. More needs to be done to meet the growing demand, she said. Sufferers might get emergency care at a hospital, but other services are lacking. Surgeon general is a title used in several Commonwealth countries and most NATO nations to refer either to a senior military medical officer or to a senior uniformed physician commissioned by the government and entrusted with public health responsibilities. The advisory cites polls from the 1970s in which 45% of Americans said they could reliably trust other Americans. "What we need to protect against, though, are the elements of technology, and social media in particular, that seek to maximize the amount of time that our children are spending online at the expense of their in-person interactions.". Strengthening social infrastructure, which includes things like parks and libraries as well as public programs. 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.. Though the pandemic has exacerbated loneliness, research suggests rates of feeling isolated have been increasing for years. Vivek Murthy urged public officials to treat isolation with the same urgency as substance abuse or tobacco. However, social media use can be excessive and problematic for some children. 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. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said. But Murthy, who was not surgeon general during the onset of the pandemic under Donald Trump, said policymakers had to make tough decisions with little information in that moment, when sometimes thousands of people were dying from the virus every day. Murthy said access to mental health treatment needs to expand. The most common question parents ask me is, is social media safe for my kids. surgeon general of the United States - Encyclopedia Britannica The Surgeon Generals Advisory offers recommendations stakeholders can take to help ensure children and their families have the information and tools necessary to make social media safer for children: In concert with the Surgeon Generals Advisory, leaders at six of the nations medical organizations have expressed their concern on social medias effects on youth mental health: Social media can be a powerful tool for connection, but it can also lead to increased feelings of depression and anxiety particularly among adolescents. 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. He said that nationally, one in three adolescent girls in 2021 seriously considered suicide. A 2022 paper from Johns Hopkins University also found socially isolated older adults had a higher chance of developing dementia than their peers. These recommendations include infrastructure changes, such as developing parks and libraries that enhance social connection, policy changes allowing for paid family leave and accessible public transportation, and more research to efficiently address social isolation. Instead of feeling like a burden, sharing a common struggle typically brings people together and strengthens the existing relationship, Baker said. A new advisory outlines how a national strategy could tackle the problem of loneliness in the United States. 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]. America has a loneliness epidemic. Here are 6 steps to address it U.S. With adolescence and childhood representing a critical stage in brain development that can make young people more vulnerable to harms from social media, the Surgeon General is issuing a call for urgent action by policymakers, technology companies, researchers, families, and young people alike to gain a better understanding of the full impact of social media use, maximize the benefits and minimize the harms of social media platforms, and create safer, healthier online environments to protect children. ", U.S. More:Suicide rates increase after 2 years of decline, with disparities widening. 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. And thats essential because when people struggle with loneliness over time, it does erode their self-esteem and their sense of self. The full Surgeon Generals Advisory can be read here. 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. It should cause us all to ask some hard questions about why this passage to adulthood is so hard for young people, said Harvard education lecturer Richard Weissbourd, director of the MCC project and lead author on the survey. U.S. The new Surgeon Generals Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health is a continuation of his work to enhance the mental health and well-being of young people across the country. For more audio journalism and storytelling, download New York Times Audio, a new iOS app available for news subscribers. So why wouldnt we want to be putting guardrails on it now to figure this out? Right now if you have an emergency, really there are so many wrong doors. Everyone Says Social Media Is Bad for Teens. Proving It Is Another While more research is needed to determine the full impact social media use has on nearly every teenager across the country, children and adolescents dont have the luxury of waiting years until we know the full extent of social medias effects. America's loneliness epidemic: How US surgeon general aims to fight it Communities can be a key to alleviating isolation. The advisory reported that this was most pronounced in young people aged 15-24 who had 70% less social interaction with their friends. Whether a person is LGBTQ+, Alaska Native or a white heterosexual, you are of equal value to our society and we need our kids to know that, he said. People underestimate the degree to which this broader sense of social connection can lead to well-being.. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The US surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, released an advisory on loneliness and isolation on Tuesday and urged people and public officials to treat the matter with the same urgency as other serious conditions such as obesity or drug abuse as it continues to surge, affecting about half of the people living in the US. We are terrified of the statistics that are coming our way, she said. Loneliness is a Health Crisis, Surgeon General Says. Here's How to Secure .gov websites use HTTPS U.S. Navy Medicine > About Us > Leadership > Surgeon General 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. Surgeon general is a title used in several Commonwealth countries and most NATO nations to refer either to a senior military medical officer or to a senior uniformed physician commissioned by the government and entrusted with public health responsibilities. In the United States, the chief public health officer is the Surgeon General of the United States, and a small number of states have state surgeons general. And for too many children, social media use is compromising their sleep and valuable in-person time with family and friends. 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. Official websites use .gov Psychological research shows that young people mature at different rates, with some more vulnerable than others to the content and features on many social media platforms. 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. Beth Rose, co-founder of the Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance, said theres been a steep rise in the number of people younger than 17 with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy discussed the serious mental health challenges among young people in Alaska and across the country during an Alaska Youth Mental Health Rountable at the UAA/APU Consortium Library on Monday, June 26, 2023. US surgeon general warns of next public health priority: loneliness Across age groups, people are spending less time with each other in person than two decades ago. O ur Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation. They are dedicated to ensuring the guidance and management necessary to support the health and well-being of the nation. 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. (Bill Roth / ADN). With fewer people interacting in community settings such as churches, synagogues, recreational sports, or more spontaneously at the grocery store, there are fewer moments to see a person for more than their surface level qualities, Murthy said.