Without proper management, diabetes can lead to a host of dangerous complications.
The diagnosis can be scary, and managing diabetes is a lot of work. As the disease progresses, many people find they have to work even harder and they might feel like they’re not getting results.
Managing any chronic, progressive disease takes a toll on people, physically and emotionally. It’s tempting to just give up, but with diabetes, that can have nasty consequences.
People with diabetes may find themselves facing issues that affect their emotional health – anger, depression and denial – along with the challenges diabetes presents to their physical health. Talking with a diabetes expert early on can help you answer questions and deal with emotional issues as well.
The American Diabetes Association offers some advice for dealing with each:
Anger
Diabetes creates fear, and anger is how we defend ourselves against fear. Long-term, anger has its own health effects. People may also stop taking care of themselves. Here are some strategies for controlling it:
- Identify the source: Are you afraid of what will happen if you have an insulin reaction? Are you scared you might lose your job because of your diabetes? Identify the source, and then work on addressing it. Learning to manage your diabetes will help prevent issues like insulin reactions.
- Change how you react: Anger manifests itself in many ways. Learn what it looks and feels like in you, and then take steps to modify your reactions. Take deep breaths, drink some water, lean back and speak slowly.
- Find ways to make your anger work for you. Use the energy anger creates to fuel your exercise program or find healthier ways to eat. Or, let it fuel a new creative venture.
Denial
It’s normal to deny bad news, like a diabetes diagnosis, when you first hear it. But if you keep denying it, you’re putting yourself in danger. Warning signs of denial include:
- Thoughts like, “One bite won’t hurt” or “It won’t kill me to skip testing my blood sugar for one day.”
- Ignoring the “to-do” list, which may include testing your blood sugar, counting carbs or following your meal plan.
- Making excuses: “Healthy food is too expensive.” “I don’t have time to check my blood sugar.”
To combat denial, you have to recognize it. Then you have to take steps to overcome it. So write down your management plan and learn why each step is important. Ask for help from your doctor or diabetes educator. And enlist your friends and family to help you make the right decisions.
Research has shown that people with diabetes are at greater risk for depression than people who don’t have the disease. Part of it might be the stress of managing the disease or dealing with its complications. Part of might be related to the disease itself.
Symptoms of depression include:
- Changes in sleep patterns, whether you’re sleeping too much or not at all.
- Avoiding friends and family.
- Avoiding activities you used to enjoy.
- Eating too much or not at all.
- Feelings of sadness, worthlessness or hopelessness.
Like diabetes, depression can have very real health consequences if it’s not treated. Long-term depression becomes a vicious cycle: Your mood changes the chemistry in your brain, and those changes, in turn, dampen your mood.
People who are depressed are less likely to follow their care plan. Treatment options include therapy – talking to a mental health expert and figuring out practical ways to combat depression – and medications that can correct the chemical imbalances in the brain.
