Spreading the Word about Pituitary Disorders

News from the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) annual conference.

From Linda M. Rio, MA Marriage & Family Therapist and PWN contributor  –  Last weekend I had the privilege of giving a two-hour training presentation to a group of professionals attending the annual conference of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), in Santa Clara, CA. I have presented many times before on this topic but it is always nice to meet a new crowd and to experience each group’s reactions to my information.

This group was particularly receptive, asking many questions and appearing quite open to learning. When I asked who among the audience had prior knowledge of pituitary disorders just a very few hands were raised. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to have one young therapist raise her hand to share that her father had just last week had surgery for a pituitary adenoma. This actually helped bring the reality of this issue more to light. Following my presentation, there were several who took my additional resource articles as well as commenting on the helpfulness of the information I provided.

Mental health professionals receive extensive training in human emotional responsiveness, brain neurochemistry, and techniques to assist individuals and families in their relationships. However, it is my experience that few have any training, understanding, or experience in the endocrine system’s role with human emotional responses and especially what can go wrong emotionally, behaviorally, and in relationships when a pituitary or other serious endocrine disorder exists. Even more important is the potential impact emotional trauma, especially in childhood, can have later on the endocrine system. I would love to see research into the psychology and relationship aspects of pituitary disorders and put this out to the audience in case anyone was looking for a unique doctoral dissertation or thesis topic.

Since I was speaking in Northern California I was able to recommend Dr. Blevins, MD, and the team at UCSF as a great local resource. I was also able to stress the importance for patients to seek treatment at a Pituitary Center of Excellence due to the necessity for highly specialized assessment and treatment. Even for those not in the area such websites as http://pituitaryworldnews.org/ is an important resource for patients, families, and professionals alike.

If we can all help medical and mental health professionals become aware of the importance of the endocrine system, especially the mental health link, I believe we can help patients get diagnosed sooner and receive better, more precise treatment.

Our thanks to Linda Rio, Marriage and Family Therapists, for providing this critical information and contributing to our publication. Read Linda’s past articles on PWN here and  learn more about Linda by going to her website at www.lindamrio.com

LINDA’S BOOK:  “THE HORMONE FACTOR IN MENTAL HEALTH” IS AVAILABLE THROUGH AMAZON.COM AND OTHER MAJOR BOOKSELLERS.

© 2017, Pituitary World News. All rights reserved.