by Tiffany Jewell
The last day of school is just around the corner and as a parent, you need to be ready. During the academic year, kids are active in sports, music and other school happenings. Summer is here and many children find themselves bored during the day with nothing to do but sit at home playing video games and/or watching television in the same place from the moment they wake up to the moment you get home from work. Read more
Julie LaJoe, MA, LPC
Behavioral Health Counselor
Desert Mission Community Health Center
National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) provides a short screening tool for ages 13 and up to help determine the need of seeking professional treatment for eating disorders. Go to: nationaleatingdisorders.org
Before you can treat a problem, you must be able to know the signs of the problem and be able to identify it. Read more
Julie LaJoe, MA, LPC
Behavioral Health Counselor
Desert Mission Community Health Center
This year, National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) is starting conversations about eating disorders and vulnerability and the importance of showing your true self to others even when it’s hard. Their theme for National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is “Let’s Get Real!”
There is hope in bringing struggles out into the open. Recovery from an eating disorder is not a straight path so it is helpful to understand the ups and downs and to make connections with others who are fighting the same fight. Read more
Erinn Gregory, RDN – Nutrition Educator | Julie LaJoe, MA, LPC – Behavioral Health Counselor
Palomino Health Center | Desert Mission Community Health Center
Body image can be defined as how people think and feel about their bodies, how satisfied they are with their bodies and how much stake they put into how they look (bradley.edu). Studies show that unrealistic body image is a problem that crosses gender, race, and age. Because of this, being more equipped about how to have a healthier mindset and attitude toward body image is important. Knowledge is power!
Dania Demaurio, LCSW
Behavioral Health Consultant
NOAH Balsz Health Center
Eating disorders are often present with other medical and/or psychiatric conditions. It is important seek professional support to assess an eating disorder, rule out co-morbidities and to provide conjunctive treatment as needed. Read more
Dania Demaurio, LCSW
Behavioral Health Consultant
NOAH Balsz Health Center
Eating disorders affects up to 24 million Americans. There are eight types of feeding and eating disorders in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM 5) including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, pica, rumination disorder, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, other specified feeding or eating disorders, and unspecified feeding or eating disorders. Read more
Dania Demaurio, LCSW
Behavioral Health Consultant
NOAH Balsz Health Center
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), there are 252,710 estimated new cases of breast cancer for 2017. Receiving a breast cancer diagnosis can be one of the most distressing experiences that a woman can experience. It can affect a woman’s psychological, social, physical, and spiritual well-being. A cancer diagnosis often results in unwanted intrusive thoughts about cancer, emotional reactions and psychological challenges, such as anxiety, hopelessness and despair, fear of dying, sense of lonesomeness, and sexual and body-image problems. A cancer diagnosis can also result in change in relationships and a change in a woman’s life and overall decrease in the quality of life. Read more
Domestic Violence is more common than we may think and negatively impacts a child’s long term mental and physical health. In the United States it is estimated that up to 30% of children, 15.5 million, live in a household where domestic violence is present. Exposure to abuse and neglect can lead to what is called Toxic Stress that causes the body to produce stress hormones over long periods of time, including Cortisol, that can be quite harmful to the developing brain and body of a child. Read more
School is in full swing, fall is around the corner and academic demands of classwork and homework are increasing. Summer vacation and sleeping in are a thing of the past. This is when we see a rise in the number of children suffering from depression, a common and treatable mental health condition. Read more
By Beverly Kube, Behavioral Health Consultant
Talking about suicide does not make someone decide to take their life. People who are feeling depressed and hopeless want to talk. Your willingness to talk about emotional issues, including suicide, can be the first step to getting a person help. The best thing you can do is begin the conversation. Read more
