US surgeon general in Pittsburgh to discuss mental health

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy met with Pittsburghers to hear firsthand about things happening in our area to improve our mental health.Dr. Murthy told the group at UPMC that mental struggles are having devastating effects on young people and are the defining health issue of our time. Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 spoke one-on-one with Murthy about the good and bad happening here, including the recent hoax calls that went out to several schools telling police students had been shot.Though the calls were fake, the fear was real for students, teachers and parents.“This also is a form of trauma that can impact kids and adults for years,” he said. “So many children say talk about being afraid of going to school because they're worried that might be the day an active shooter. So many parents say they're worried about sending their kids to school because they don't know what's going to happen."He also discussed the dangers of social media and said that while parents need to get more involved in what their children are doing online, there also needs to be better-defined regulations for social media companies, including independent analysis of the data, especially among young people.Murthy says the best thing you can do if you're struggling is to ask for help because recovery is possible.