Surgeon General visits Maine, encourages social connections to combat isolation

Maintaining strong social connections to avoid feelings of loneliness and isolation has not traditionally been part of public health discussions.

But during a panel discussion in Portland on Friday, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said it should be so.

“We know that issues like smoking and obesity are important. classic public health problems, but loneliness and isolation turn out to be just as importantsaid Murthy, who participated in a panel discussion Friday with Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Sarah Squirrel, Maine’s director of behavioral health, at the University of Southern Maine’s Hannaford Auditorium.

The discussion was moderated by Jeanne Lambrew, former Maine health and human services commissioner and now director of health reform at The Century Foundation.

Murthy wrote a book, “Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World,” published in 2020, based in part on his experiences with loneliness in his childhood. The book was released the year the global pandemic disrupted society, shuttering schools and businesses and shutting down most sports, events, concerts and gatherings.

Restrictions on gatherings have further increased society’s isolation problems, and society is slowly returning to normal.

Murthy said studies show that people who suffer from loneliness have a higher risk of becoming depressed, dying by suicide and have a higher risk of heart disease, stroke and dementia.

It is also difficult for people to gather with others in rural areas where the state’s residents often live far apart and are sparsely populated. Maine is the least densely populated state east of the Mississippi River.

Mills said Maine people are “fiercely independent” and “resilient,” but they are also welcoming and caring about each other. But Mills said Mainers need to remember “they’re not Superman” and make sure to ask for help when needed.

Mills said she’s learned during the pandemic how important it is to maintain social connections, even when it’s difficult to gather in person. He said he remembered reading many of the letters people would send him and would take the time to write back.

Mills said it’s not just rural areas or pandemic restrictions that cause loneliness.

“You can be lonely in a large classroom, and you can feel very lonely in a dining hall with 100 people,” Mills said.

Maine has the 21st-highest suicide rate in the country, with 17.7 deaths per 100,000 population per year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nationally, suicide rates overlap strongly with rural populations.

Montana, Alaska, and Wyoming have the highest rates of deaths by suicide—all more than 25 per 100,000 population; Densely populated states such as Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Maryland have lower rates, each with less than 10 cases per 100,000 people. annual.

Murthy said he is concerned that young people remain “tethered” to devices such as smartphones and are not able to socialize much, even when around others. During his visits to college campuses and high schools, he noticed a stark difference in the noisiness of students in schools that restricted phone use compared to schools without such restrictions.

But it’s not just about devices. Murthy, 47, recalled that when he was in primary school, before cell phones became ubiquitous, “the scariest part was lunch time and wondering if there was anyone to sit next to you.”

Murthy said he even struggles with loneliness as an adult. After completing his first stint as surgeon general in the Obama administration, he felt isolated from friends he couldn’t keep track of and lacked good business connections from his time in the White House. He started by calling two old friends, and they had been very close ever since, even calling each other “brothers”.

“The deepest connections we have are how we reach out and care for each other,” Murthy said.

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