This week I was in Georgia and South Carolina filming researchers and clinicians for Sharpen Minds college mental health literacy programs. While sitting down with Benedict Ezeoke, Ph.D. Executive Director for Health Services, Counseling & Accessibility at University of West Georgia, we discussed the ways in which he is focusing his programs on addressing profound loneliness among students.
In today's report that highlights the importance of connectedness (https://lnkd.in/d_R3bNtN), the US Surgeon General outlines this research in detail. “At any moment, about one out of every two Americans is experiencing measurable levels of loneliness. This includes introverts and extroverts…” Dr. Murthy wrote in his NY Times OpEd.
The phenomenon Dr. Ezeoke and I discussed on camera included students who are surrounded by friends and peers and still feel lonely or isolated. “People can live relatively solitary lives and not feel lonely, and conversely, they can live an ostensibly rich social life and feel lonely nevertheless” (Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2010: https://lnkd.in/dMaJ6mmc).
Connectedness is also rooted in decades of suicide prevention research. Over the last 7 years collaborating on community-wide suicide prevention efforts, we implement programs that increase connectedness in order to truly support individuals who may be struggling. This can be done at the family, school and community levels (Whitlock et al, 2014: https://lnkd.in/dtV2t_XB).
We outline this and more on Sharpen's 4-hour suicide prevention and postvention course which features national suicidologists, experts and - most importantly - individuals with lived experiences sharing stories of strength and resilience. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/da64cH6a.
In today's report that highlights the importance of connectedness (https://lnkd.in/d_R3bNtN), the US Surgeon General outlines this research in detail. “At any moment, about one out of every two Americans is experiencing measurable levels of loneliness. This includes introverts and extroverts…” Dr. Murthy wrote in his NY Times OpEd.
The phenomenon Dr. Ezeoke and I discussed on camera included students who are surrounded by friends and peers and still feel lonely or isolated. “People can live relatively solitary lives and not feel lonely, and conversely, they can live an ostensibly rich social life and feel lonely nevertheless” (Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2010: https://lnkd.in/dMaJ6mmc).
Connectedness is also rooted in decades of suicide prevention research. Over the last 7 years collaborating on community-wide suicide prevention efforts, we implement programs that increase connectedness in order to truly support individuals who may be struggling. This can be done at the family, school and community levels (Whitlock et al, 2014: https://lnkd.in/dtV2t_XB).
We outline this and more on Sharpen's 4-hour suicide prevention and postvention course which features national suicidologists, experts and - most importantly - individuals with lived experiences sharing stories of strength and resilience. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/da64cH6a.
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