Club learns about disorders in children

Two representatives from Suncoast Mental Health Center spoke at a recent Kiwanis Club of Okeechobee meeting.

Art Ciasca, the C.E.O. and Deb Pizzimenti, director of Outreach, visited the club to discuss the services Suncoast provides along with information regarding several mental health disorders.

Suncoast is a four-county, non-profit organization that serves families in the Treasure Coast area. In Okeechobee, they have an office on Northwest Third Street.

Mr. Ciasca and Ms. Pizzimenti discussed several myths associated with mental health disorders such as depression, ADHD (attention deficit hyper activity disorder) and anxiety. Ciasca says one myth with depression is that it is something that you can "pull yourself out of " or "get over" by yourself if you suffer from the disorder. The over-lying fact is that mental illness is a real medical disorder that requires treatment.

Suncoast receives their patients mostly through referrals. For children, that means that teachers and counselors recognize symptoms from their students. For more information about Suncoast Mental Health Center including upcoming events, visit suncoastmentalhealth.org.

The Kiwanis Club of Okeechobee is a service group that works to improve the lives of youth in Okeechobee. The club meets every Thursday at noon at Cowboys Restaurant. The public is invited to attend.