Tavis Smiley . Special Feature . Road to Health . Guest . Dr. David Satcher

Dr. David Satcher

16th Surgeon General of the United States

We need to stop discriminating against people because of mental illness.

Q: What can we do to address mental health in this country?

We as a nation need to do a lot of work on this stigma. We need to stop discriminating against people because of mental illness and realize that just as things go wrong with the heart, the lungs, the liver, and the kidneys, things go wrong with the brain. They always have. They always will. The only question is, how will we respond? And I'm hoping that we will become much more sophisticated.

Q: Why are HIV-AIDS rates continuing to rise in communities of color?

One of the things that we don't do well in this country is to really teach sex education and sexuality education. We've got to be more frank with our young people. We've got to deal with not just abstinence. We need to make sure they have the information they need to make the right decisions. Even though we don't think they should be, if they are going to be sexually active, they need to know how to protect themselves and others.

Q: How big is America's problem with obesity?

When we released the Surgeon General's report in December of 2001, we said that left unabated, obesity would overtake tobacco as the leading preventable cause of death in this country. And it's amazing just since that time how rapidly deaths due to obesity have increased in this country. This obesity epidemic is very serious. We're approaching 400,000 deaths a year related to obesity and physical inactivity.

Q: If obesity will be the biggest killer of Americans in a few years, why aren't politicians doing anything?

As more attention has been brought to bear on this issue, we're seeing things happening in Congress and in the states. Senator Hawkins from Iowa has recently introduced legislation that would require physical education K through 12. In this country, we separate the health care system from the education system. The challenge we're facing is how do we come to realize that the health care system is bigger than providing medical care.

Dr. David Satcher served as the 16th U.S. Surgeon General. He is now Interim President of the Morehouse School of Medicine and champions healthy lifestyles, especially in underserved communities.

Mental Illness Throughout the Lifespan: Children and Adults

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July 5, 2004

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Recommended Web Sites

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) is a nonprofit, grassroots, self-help, support and advocacy organization of consumers, families, and friends of people with severe mental illnesses.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of 13 major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services and at the forefront of public health efforts.

The Office of the Surgeon General, America's chief health educator, offers scientific information on how to improve health and reduce the risk of illness and injury.

Published: September 15, 2005