Sept. 5, 2014
MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA
Vol. 33, No. 3
Neuroanatomy of suicide lessens stigma
By Dawn Brazell Public Relations
E
ven before the news of Robin Williams’ death, Mark George, M.D., knew his grand rounds talk would be on the neuroanatomy of suicide. “Today is a teachable moment hopefully about suicide,” said George, to a packed auditorium Aug. 14 at MUSC
where health professionals gathered to learn about how brain disorders may predispose patients to suicide. First, he shared the statistics about its prevalence and impact. It’s the No. 2 killer of 18–to–24 year olds. “Other than cars, this is what kills kids this age. It’s tragic when that happens because they have untapped potential in their lives.”
A veteran kills him or herself every hour, 24/7. “So during my lecture there’s some poor veteran in the States who will decide life is not worth living and act on it.” More soldiers involved in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts killed themselves than were killed by the enemy. “If the enemy came up with a new weapon, we’d spend billions trying to figure out how to
combat it. We don’t think about suicide as being a new weapon used in war, but we should and we should devote billions to coming up with ways to prevent it and stop it when it becomes a crisis.” It is estimated that on average the United States loses as many as 400 physicians to suicide each year (the
See Suicide on page 7
When comedy becomes no laughing matter By Dawn Brazell Public Relations
A
n expectant stillness settles on a standing–room– only crowd at Theatre 99. A. Lee Lewis, M.D., stands jabbing his finger into thin air, trying to play “Born in the USA” on an imaginary jukebox that’s broken. Fellow actor Greg Tavares, the theatre’s co–founder, watches him, and then breaks out in song that soon unravels because he doesn’t know the words. The crowd laughs at the improv moment being created by the duo in their ensemble act called “Moral Fixation.” Lewis, who has traveled the nation performing improv, has been acting with the group for 14 years. One of the lessons he’s learned from doing improv is to forget about trying to make people laugh. “It’s
See Comedy on page 6
4
MUHA Town Hall Town Hall meeting series kicks off Sept. 22.
photo by Dawn Brazell, Public Relations
Actor and MUSC psychiatrist Dr. A. Lee Lewis (center) performs improv at Theatre 99 with Greg Tavares, the theatre’s co-founder.
8
Lifetime Achievement
2
Employee of the Month
Campus VP honored with state’s highest award.
5
Meet Grace
10
Employee Wellness
READ THE CATALYST ONLINE - http://www.musc.edu/catalyst