Past & Present U.S. Surgeons Generals Meet to Discuss Surging Mental Health Crisis

06 Nov 2023

In a special panel discussion recently held at Dartmouth College, current U.S. Surgeon General—Dr. Vivek Murthy—and six former Surgeons General, including APB speakers Drs. Richard Carmona, Joycelyn Elders, Regina Benjamin and Jerome Adams spoke about our growing mental health crisis. 

The topics ranged from the epidemic of loneliness and isolation to the negative health impacts of political discord to issues facing veterans and children to substance abuse to the importance of community. All agreed more must be done to combat the crisis.

This was the first time in a quarter of a century that all the living Surgeons General (Dr. David Satcher sent a video statement.) convened in one place for a common objective.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta,  CNN chief medical correspondent, neurosurgeon and associate professor at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, moderated the conversation. Here’s some of what these top doctors had to say about addressing this massive problem, as reported by CNN.

• “The one thing you’re supposed to do as a parent is leave your children a better world than the world that was handed to you,” said Dr. Adams, 20th Surgeon General (2017-2021). “I have to look at my three teenagers every day and know that I’m not handing them a better world, and I’m not handing them a better world that was left to me. And a lot of that is because of our failure to really focus on mental health and to do the hard things that it’s actually going to take to overcome this mental health crisis that we’re in.”
• “Health does not occur in the doctor’s office or in the hospitals alone,” said Dr. Benjamin, 18th Surgeon General (2009-2013) “It is where we live, where we learn, where we work, where we play and pray, everything that we do. So we have to take our health care where people are.”
• We’ve got to step up and provide the services for our veterans because they’re struggling,” said Dr. Carmona, who couldn’t find help for his veteran son despite his position as the nation’s top doctor. He was the 17th Surgeon General (2002-2006).
• “A world fueled by love is a world where we’re kind to each other, where we’re generous,” said Dr. Murthy. “It’s a world where we value friendships. We heal through the love that we give and the love that we receive. And when you realize that, you realize that we’re all healers, and this is a time that the world needs more healers … If we truly want to lift up everyone, we have to move together.”

+ Learn More About Dr. Richard Carmona
+ Learn More About Dr. Jocelyn Elders
+ Learn More About Dr. Regina Benjamin
+ Learn More About Dr. Jerome Adams