F30A Journal — Mental Health

As the Christmas holiday rapidly approaches, the interval between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2020 being only 29 days, so does the “rush” to get everything decorated, delivered, and done. With the “rush” so often comes frustration and anxiety, and for some, even so much frustration and anxiety that the Joy of Christmas becomes the Dread of Christmas.This rings particularly true in the chaotic year we've all endured. In spite of attempts to minimize repeating the dread another year through advanced planning and scheduling, for many, the anxiety associated with the entire season ruins the Joy of the Season. So, what are...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide in individuals under the age of 45. TBI affects approximately 1.7 million Americans each year with over 5.3 million Americans currently struggling with TBI disabilities. There are multiple causes from car accidents, falls, contact sport, to gunshot and stab wounds. TBI has been identified as the most common cause of epilepsy in adults. The effects can last a few days or the rest of a person’s life. Those effects include impairments related to thinking or memory, movement, sensation, vision and hearing along with emotional functioning...

Dear fellow provider:   Hopefully by now, all of us are on the same page with regards to the urgency and seriousness of this COVID-19 pandemic. Our patients are looking to us for guidance because of the conflicting reports in the media. Many of them already know someone with the illness or that has died from it.   Rather than debate any specifics about the virus itself, there is one thing we can all agree on. These are very anxiety producing times for our patients, both medically and economically. Patients that may not have historically exhibited anxiety, are experiencing it...

Every 65 seconds in America someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia (every 3 seconds worldwide). There is currently no cure for AD. It is a chronic neurodegenerative condition that gradually worsens over time and its cause is poorly understood. Once someone is diagnosed with AD their life expectancy is somewhere between 3-10 years.   Poor diet and lifestyle choices can increase your risk of developing AD. Healthy lifestyle choices can certainly reduce your risk but are no guarantee a person will not develop the disease. Diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking will increase your risk developing AD and should be...