Sex and Diabetes

Read an interesting article from Everyday Health.  It was on sexual problems to look out for if you have diabetes.  Problems can be caused by the diabetes itself, especially if it is not well controlled.  However you also have to worry about medications, which also can cause problems.  Diabetes can result in restricted blood flow to all parts of the body, as well as nerve damage.
Specific problems to look out for include erectile dysfunction, low arousal or low response, infections (particularly yeast infections) and low libido.
The conclusion of this article is that as diabetes is well controlled, then sexual issues will be less.  In other words, controlling diabetes can lead to better sex.  Now that is motivation to keep your diabetes well-controlled.

Tagalog: Know the Signs

We can all become helpers when people are feeling down or suicidal.  The first step is to know the signs.  Someone who is suicidal my:
Talk about death or wanting to die
Seek methods for self-harm
Feel hopeless, trapped, desperate
Give away possessions
No longer do things the normally enjoy
Put affairs in order
Be angry
Have sudden mood changes
Change sleep patterns
Have no sense of purpose
Increase drug or alcohol usage

After recognizing the signs, you must enter the conversation.  It is hard to accept that someone may be thinking about taking their own life.  Start the conversation by mentioning the warning signs you have observed.  Then ask the question, "Are you thinking of suicide?"  Then listen, express concern, give reassurance, and listen. Use the suicide hot line if you feel someone is suicidal.

Pain Isn't Always Obvious" Know the Signs: Suicide Prevention

We can all become helpers when people are feeling down or suicidal.  The first step is to know the signs.  Someone who is suicidal my:
Talk about death or wanting to die
Seek methods for self-harm
Feel hopeless, trapped, desperate
Give away possessions
No longer do things the normally enjoy
Put affairs in order
Be angry
Have sudden mood changes
Change sleep patterns
Have no sense of purpose
Increase drug or alcohol usage

After recognizing the signs, you must enter the conversation.  It is hard to accept that someone may be thinking about taking their own life.  Start the conversation by mentioning the warning signs you have observed.  Then ask the question, "Are you thinking of suicide?"  Then listen, express concern, give reassurance, and listen. Use the suicide hot line if you feel someone is suicidal.

Suicide and Crisis Line

Free HIV and STD Testing: Santa Clara County The Crane Center

I was downtown San Jose when someone asked me if I wanted to be screened for HIV.  He was in front of a medical van.  This appeared to be an outreach by The Crane Center, which is part of Public Health in Santa Clara County.

Clinical Supervision

Clinical supervision is an important role in social work.  To be able to help someone at the start of their career is important, and the responsibility should not be taken lightly.  I have provided supervision for several different employees of Santa Clara County Behavioral Health, and it is fun to see what some have accomplished.  I wouldn't say because of my supervision, but at least it was a step along the way.
At a recent training given my Melanie Stern, this statement was provided: Clinical supervision is an interactional process between supervisor and supervisee that promotes the development of responsibility, skill, knowledge, attitudes, and ethical standards in the practice of clinical work.
Actions that help accomplish this are:
providing a safe environment, acquiring therapeutic techniques, knowledge about relevant laws and regulations, able to anchor skills to client issues, comfortable and confident, able to assess areas for growth, models how to handle anxiety and able to evaluate.
Some ethical and legal issues to consider, informed consent, due process, confidentiality, Tarasoff (vicarious liability), training, record keeping and dual relationships.
There are also many obligations to do supervision correctly, as required by the BBSE.  This includes contract and reporting requirements.  

Breast Cancer Prevention: Know Your Lemons

Knowyourlemons is a website devoted to breast cancer prevention.  Using lemons it includes descriptions of 12 different signs of breast cancer.  It also promotes regular medical exams and mammography to prevent or detect breast cancer.  It also provides information on self-exam.
I was informed of this website from the Utah State Magazine in an article about Corrine Ellsworth Beaumont, USU alumnus.  Her own grandmothers had succumbed to the disease which motivated her to look for information on breast cancer.  This website is the result.