Oprah Winfrey talks mental health with U.S. Surgeon General at summit event
The event was hosted by actor Lisa Kudrow, moderated by Oprah Winfrey and included discussions with the U.S. Surgeon General.
WESTWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- About 1,000 people gathered at UCLA Thursday morning for the fourth annual WOW2023 mental health summit.
Among the crowd were nearly 500 college and high school students from all over the city.
Mental-health activist and UCLA graduate student Meera Varma sat on a panel led by Oprah Winfrey. Varma shared her past struggles with mental health and encouraged those in the audience to share their own challenges, too.
"It is so important to have these conversations around mental health because suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ten to 14 and 20 to 34," Varma said. "And that is something that can be prevented by talking about it. And that's what the WOW Summit did today."
The event was hosted by actor, writer and producer Lisa Kudrow. She said events like these shows the progress that's been made on the topic.
"I think there have been huge leaps in understanding and accepting that a mental health issue is a health issue that needs to be addressed and allowed to be addressed," Kudrow said. "And it's not just 'Snap out of it,' because I do remember when that is sort of what most people would say."
Along with raising awareness, the goal of the event was to help educate and erase the stigma surrounding mental health. Speakers in attendance said it was a safe space to talk freely and learn about such an important topic.
Los Angeles Lakers' co-owner Jeanie Buss was in attendance and Grammy and Academy Award-winning songwriter Jon Batiste gave a special performance at the piano.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy also held an important conversation with Winfrey.
"What I want people to know is when it comes to our mental health one of the most powerful things we can do to strengthen our mental health and well-being and invest in our relationships with each other," Murthy said. "Our relationships have a really powerful effect on our health and when we're really connected to each other it actually reduces are risk of depression and anxiety and suicide, but it also reduces our risk of heart disease and dementia and so many other physical health conditions."
Funds raised during the event went towards mental health research, education and patient care.
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