<div dir="ltr"><div><div style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif;font-size:small" class="gmail_default">
<font size="2"><span><b><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span><span><span><span><b>The Institute for Ethics in Public Life invites you to join us for "Technology and Mental Health" </b></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><b>on Wednesday, September 9, at 3:30pm (in person and on Zoom)</b></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><b> with special guest James Norton, '13, Government and Community Affairs Manager at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) New York.</b></span></span> </span><br><span> </span><br></span></span></span></b></span></font><div style="margin-left:40px"><font size="2"><span><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span><span>Technology has become central to our lives, with daily use of networked computers and tablets, and phones at work and home. This has transformed many jobs and helps us stay connected to family and friends, but it also has important implications for  mental health. On the plus side, telemedicine has the potential to improve access to mental health care and improving social connections is an unambiguously good thing. However, there are also significant ways in which our use of technology can threaten our mental health. Most of us are aware that screen-time can interfere with sleep, and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2025/08/sleep-mental-health-connection-what-science-says.html&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1788963047061029&usg=AOvVaw0d5y-KJsH4XP33NtE_0WKB" target="_blank">poor sleep is associated with depression</a>. Social media has been found to contribute to low self-esteem, narcissism, and self-harm and undermine learning in young people (see <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.afterbabel.com/&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1788963047061029&usg=AOvVaw0tFmXm0BkCy7CrmG-Ve8OB" target="_blank">Jonathan Haidt's "After Babel" substack</a>). <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://mhanational.org/technology-mental-health-report/&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1788963047061029&usg=AOvVaw1gjNj8T70Sd-koEejcXsbd" target="_blank">Dependency on tech</a> is increasing (including addiction), particular among young people. And there is <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.michiganmedicine.org/health-lab/ai-chatbots-spark-mental-health-concerns-including-psychosis-risk&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1788963047061029&usg=AOvVaw3TvVPb-je3GQzAMXvjLukz" target="_blank">rising concern</a> about the risks AI chatbots may pose to mental health, including depression and psychosis.</span></span></span></span></span></font><br><font size="2"><span><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></font><br><font size="2"><span><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span><span>To help us better understand this important issue, we are joined by James Norton '13, Government and Community Affairs Manager at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) New York.</span></span></span></span></span></font><br><font size="2"><span><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span></span></span></span></span></font><br><font size="2"><span><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span><span><span>James Norton, '13 joined NAMI in 2025 as the Government and Community Affairs Manager after having spent 10+ years at the intersection of behavioral health and justice. Including roles with the State of New York, State of Vermont, NYS Senate, AHEC, EMS, Public Safety, and Fire. He has focused mainly on the opioid crisis and still works with Recovery centers and Harm Reduction groups. James also continues to work as an adjunct professor of criminal justice and volunteer in local politics. James graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2013 after majoring in criminal justice with a minor in psychology. </span></span></span></span></span></span></font><br><font size="2"><span><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></font><br><font size="2"><span><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span><span><span>Please join us in the Moran Seminar Room of the Institute for Ethics in Public Life (Hawkins 233) or on Zoom (see below).</span></span></span></span></span></span></font><br><font size="2"><span><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></font><br><font size="2"><span><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>Topic: Technology and Mental Health</span></span></span></span></font><br><font size="2"><span><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>Time: Sep 9, 2026 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)</span></span></span></span></font><br><font size="2"><span><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>Join Zoom Meeting</span></span></span></span></font><br><font size="2"><span><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://plattsburgh.zoom.us/j/81316064694&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1788963047061029&usg=AOvVaw2zXE4sCBwxSncUaBYq--Rq" target="_blank">https://plattsburgh.zoom.us/j/81316064694</a></span></span></span></span></font><br><font size="2"><span><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span></span></span></span></span></font><br><font size="2"><span><span><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>Meeting ID: 813 1606 4694</span></span></span></span></font></div>



</div><br clear="all"></div><br><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><b><font size="2">Daniel Lake</font></b></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">(pronouns: he/him/his)<br></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">Professor of Political Science</font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">Director, Institute for Ethics in Public Life<br></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">Hawkins 149A</font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2"><a href="https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">101 Broad Street</a></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2"><a href="https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">Plattsburgh, NY 12901</a></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">(o) <a href="tel:(518)%5645833" value="+15185642217" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">518-564-5833</a></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><b><font size="2"><a href="http://plattsburgh.edu/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">plattsburgh.edu</a></font></b><br></p></div><div dir="ltr"><img src="https://web.plattsburgh.edu/files/914/images/SUNY-Plattsburgh-Email-Logo-2018.jpg"><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>