Vaughn McCall, MD
Case Distinguished University Chairman for the Department of Psychiatry & Health Behavior, Executive Vice Dean for the Medical College of Georgia | Augusta University
1120 15th Street, GA, UNITED STATES
Vaughn McCall focuses on depression, electroconvulsive therapy, quality of life, insomnia, and suicide.
Biography
Dr. Vaughn McCall has served as Professor and Case Distinguished Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at Augusta University since 2012. Dr. McCall comes to Augusta University from Wake Forest University School of Medicine after having served as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine since 2003. He completed his medical degree and post-graduate psychiatric training at Duke University. He completed a Masters degree in Epidemiology from Wake Forest University. He is board certified in general psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, and sleep disorders medicine. His research interests include depression, electroconvulsive therapy, quality of life, insomnia, and suicide. His research has been continuously funded by the National Institute of Mental Health since 1995, and he is author of more than 400 publications, including more than 180 peer-reviewed journal articles. He is Editor of the Journal of ECT, Past President of the Association for Convulsive Therapy, and a prior Director of the Board of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. His awards have included The Thomas Ball Award, presented by the Chesapeake Bay Sleep Society for service in Sleep Medicine, and the Eugene Hargrove Award given by the NC Psychiatric Association for achievement in psychiatric research, and the Honored Speaker Award given by the International Association of ECT and Neurostimulation.
Areas of Expertise (5)
Suicide
Quality of Life
Depression
Electroconvulsive Therapy
Insomnia
Links (1)
Media Appearances (6)
Scientology Is on the Brink of Killing an Entire Medical Industry
Yahoo! online
2024-08-11
“It is neither overstatement nor a cliché to say, if you are looking for the greatest evil on Earth, look no further than psychiatry.” Those were among the words Scientology leader David Miscavige delivered to a crowd of followers that included Tom Cruise and several other Scientology celebrities, including Walking Dead actress Jenna Elfman, during his opening remarks at the organization's annual tribute to its biggest donors this past November. It was the 39th anniversary gala of the International Association of Scientologists, a typically annual event held under a giant tent at Scientology's UK headquarters, a Sussex estate known as Saint Hill Manor where founder L. Ron Hubbard had lived in the 1960s, and the first IAS gala to take place there since a four-year hiatus imposed by the global COVID-19 pandemic. “The loss of MECTA [SigmaStim] and Somatics would be a disaster,” Dr. Vaughn McCall, chair at the Medical College of Georgia's psychiatry department and a prominent national figure in ECT, says. “As with GM and Ford, probably neither would be unhappy if the other went out of business. But that’s not the goal here. The point being, we can’t afford to let either company go out of business.” On top of that, he adds, “Scientology doesn't seem to be interested in winning any of these lawsuits.”
The Means Report
WJBF tv
2022-05-02
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I suspect we will re-air this series later in the year, but I can tell you that it’s beginning right here as we kick off the month of May. And I can’t think of a better person to help us kick off Mental Health Awareness Month and our mental health series than Dr. Vaughn McCall. He’s going to help us answer several questions and tackle these topics, the basics of mental health. What it is, the stigma of mental illness. We’re constantly trying to get rid of that, aren’t we? I wonder if it still exists. We’ll ask the doctor. And how to know if something isn’t right. How to tell the difference between just perhaps a mood swing or something that might require professional attention. Dr. McCall is the chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, and he is so kind to rejoin us. Thanks for coming back to “The Means Report.” You’ve been a frequent guest because this is a topic that affects so many people. Thanks for coming back.
Which Gender Sleeps the Most? New Study Sheds Light on American Sleep Habits
SciTech Daily
2022-07-11
A new study has revealed new information about the sleep habits of Americans. The Medical College of Georgia researchers found that a U-shaped pattern can be seen in a graph of how long Americans sleep over the course of their lives, with age 40 being the lowest point and hours of sleep beginning to creep back up around age 50.
Age 40 Is the Low Point for Getting Enough Sleep, Study Finds
Verywell Health online
2022-11-27
Not getting enough sleep? You might be able to blame your age. A new study found that time spent sleeping declines with age, dropping to the lowest point at age 40. At around age 50, people might start sleeping more again.1 Researchers say the trend may be influenced by a combination of biological and lifestyle factors. But sleep duration doesn’t necessarily equate to quality of sleep, which appears to decline as people grow older. The study evaluated data from over 11,000 people ages 6 and older. Participants wore a device called an accelerometer on their wrists to track movement. The data, collected between 2011 and 2014, included sleep duration, bedtime, and sleep efficiency.
Idorsia Files Petition with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Urging Them to De-Schedule Dual Orexin Receptor Antagonist Class of Insomnia Medications
8 News Now tv
2023-04-04
Yesterday, a Citizen Petition (CP) was filed on behalf of Idorsia Pharmaceuticals (SIX: IDIA), urging the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to de-schedule the dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA) class of chronic insomnia medications based on a review of evidence from available data, including post-marketing surveillance data. The CP to de-schedule the DORA class outlines scientific and medical evidence demonstrating that the DORA class has a negligible abuse profile and potential for abuse, lacks non-medical use in the community, lacks physical and psychological dependence, and therefore, should not be a scheduled class under the Controlled Substances Act.1 "Given the rising cases of substance abuse disorder with certain prescription medications in the United States, I'm pleased to see data from the DORA class, which shows the negligible abuse potential of DORAs when treating insomnia," said Vaughn McCall, MD, Professor and Case Distinguished Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at Augusta University. "I am hopeful that the DEA will consider de-scheduling the DORA class as it is critical in preventing the overuse of other medications, which may be abused or misused, to treat insomnia."
Mental Health Matters: how doctors are treating suicidal behavior in patients with schizophrenia
WJBF tv
2023-05-16
The National Institutes of Health reports insomnia as a common sleep disorder, affecting up to half of patients with schizophrenia. Insomnia can also increase the risk of suicide in schizophrenic patients. Doctors at the Medical College of Georgia at AU are investigating ways to lower this risk and improve patients’ quality of life. Insomnia disorder affects about 10 percent of adults. “Insomnia was a risk factor for suicidal thinking, suicidal behavior and suicide death,” said Dr. William Vaughn McCall, Chair of Psychiatry at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.
Articles (2)
The effect of far-infrared emitting sheets on sleep
Research Journal of Textile and ApparelWilliam Vaughn McCall, Alan Letton, Jordan Lundeen, Doug Case, Francisco J. Cidral-Filho
2018 The application of far-infrared energy to skin is expected to lead to vasodilatation of the skin surface, consequently warming the skin, and promoting sleep induction...
Portable Recording in the Assessment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
SleepRichard Ferber Richard Millman Michael Coppola John Fleetham Catherine Friederich Murray Conrad Iber W Vaughn McCall German Nino-Murcia Mark Pressman Mark Sanders ... Show more
2018
