Diabetes diagnosis can often lead to anger, denial, fear or depression. These can range from mild feelings of irritation through to serious depression.
Diabetes and mental health is a serious issue that needs better consideration and a range of care solutions.
Like many mental health problems, those caused by diabetes are often underestimated or ignored.
Diabetes and Anger
Anger is a common response to diabetes, and is completely natural. People who have been diagnosed with diabetes may wonder why it has affected them when many of their friends or relatives do not have the condition.
Diabetes diagnosis is unfair, and sometimes anger can lead recently diagnosed diabetics to neglect their diabetes management or diabetes treatment.
Diabetes and Denial
Denial is another common emotion felt following diabetes diagnosis. Denial is a difficult emotion, and happens when people refuse to believe that something has happened to them.
Many people experience denial upon diagnosis.
Diabetes and Fear
Fear is another common response to diabetes diagnosis. Fear occurs when contemplating the present and future managing diabetes causes fright.
Diabetes is a serious condition that requires regular management, therefore fear is a natural response. However, if fear is preventing you from managing your condition it can become a serious problem.
Diabetes and Depression
Diabetes can be a difficult condition to accept and it is not uncommon for mental health issues such as depression to occur before or following a diabetes diagnosis.
Depression is a feeling of sadness that will not go away, and it can seriously affect quality of life. If you have been feeling hopeless for more than a week you are suffering from depression.
If you are experiencing any of the above mental health issues, you should speak to your healthcare professional and discuss the solutions. Mental health needs a personal, tailored solution depending on your individual circumstances.
Healthcare professionals should treat diabetes and mental health extremely seriously, because mental health can affect diabetes management and in turn affect long-term health.
