HANOVER, N.H. —
Six former surgeons general gathered Monday at Dartmouth College to discuss the mental health issues facing the nation’s youth.
The officials said there’s no single solution to the mental health crisis, but they said small actions can grow into larger solutions to what they called a national security issue.
The panel pinpointed issues that youth face, including racism, poverty, drugs, access to health care, educational struggles, social media and more. One former general said that with youth mental health rapidly declining, the conversation is urgent, and the community must come together.
“A lot of this is about building community, this inclusiveness that we’re all humans,” said former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona. “It doesn’t make a difference of your party, of your color or anything else, and we have to develop a society that respects each and every one of us, and that starts at childhood.”
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Building community is just one solution, the panelists said. Other recommendations include utilizing resources such as telehealth, increasing access to care, using social media for positivity instead of fear and eliminating the difference between health and mental health.
The panelists told the room of about 500 people that there’s a lot of work to be done, but now is the right time to rebuild.