Know the emotional implications of diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease, that is, there is still no cure; treatment is based on the condition not getting worse.

And it is precisely this quality that can make people with diabetes more likely to have emotional implications given their diagnosis.

The body and the mind are highly related, and when we feel that we are not well emotionally, this is transmitted to our body, which in the case of people suffering from diabetes causes a vicious circle in which they neglect their health because they feel bad, and they feel bad for neglecting their health.

For this reason, it is common for people with diabetes to be more prone to the appearance of depressive symptoms, however this is not exclusive to people with diabetes.

To better understand how the relationship between diabetes and depression works, we invite you to continue reading.

The biology of diabetes and its implication in depression

In a study conducted to learn more about diabetes, it was found that 17% of people with Type 2 Diabetes appeared to be depressed, compared to 9% of people with Type 1 Diabetes.

Those people with type 2 diabetes, who were not prescribed as part of the treatment, but only had to follow a diet and exercise routine reported having a poorer quality of life than those whose diabetes was treated with medication.

It was also found that there was a higher percentage of people who had a mood that tended to depression, and who felt overwhelmed by diabetes.

These data are especially relevant, since they lead us to think about the relationship between diabetes and depression, considering that it is of psychological origin.

That is, there is a very large influence on how people with diabetes elaborate in their head the meaning of their own diagnosis and these associated beliefs and emotions affect and increase the probability of depressive symptoms.

The fact that it is a chronic disease makes people feel that their efforts are not bearing fruit, since it may continue to progress and even if it manages to stop its progress, this is not a cure, so they will have to live with the treatment permanently.

There is an experience that they are in constant danger, since a complication can occur at any time, causing a fear of the future.

In addition to the above is added the feeling of not being able to do or eat some things in the same way as other people around him.

The relationship of distress to diabetes

Taking into account all the above it is common that sometimes you feel discouraged, worried, frustrated or tired of diabetes care.

Perhaps because he has been trying hard, however he has not seen results, or because another health problem has appeared despite his efforts.

Those overwhelming feelings are known as diabetes distress. And they have the potential to lead you to neglect and take on unhealthy habits like not monitoring yourself or missing medical appointments.

This situation occurs to most people with diabetes, even after having a long period of adequate control of it, it can resemble depression or anxiety and has been shown to improve if one takes into account:

Do not stop seeing your endocrinologist. Focus on one or two small goals related to your diabetes treatment and reinforce yourself each time you get it right.

And joining a diabetes support package and visiting a chronic health specialist regularly improves these unpleasant feelings for people with diabetes.

When to see a mental health professional?

It is especially relevant that you go to a psychological consultation if you have the following symptoms:

• Feeling of sadness or of being "empty".

• Being irritable or anxious.

• Feeling hopeless or guilty.

• Those things that were gratifying do not interest him.

• Great difficulty maintaining concentration or remembering details (when it was not like this before).

• Feeling exhausted in the execution of tasks that before were not so tiring.

• Complexity to fall asleep or, on the other hand, to rest excessively.

• Eat a lot more or a lot less.

• Have general discomfort, headaches, stomach and / or digestive problems.

• Having suicidal thoughts or having made any attempt.