People with diabetes not getting psychological support

According to the leading health charity Diabetes UK, as many as 85 per cent of adults suffering from diabetes in the UK are lacking access to psychological support and care from a specialist.
In most cases, the report indicates, people with diabetes only have access to generic mental health care, with experts have no specific experience of diabetes . This is despite evidence linking psychological problems with diabetes, including depression, phobias, disorders and other conditions.
The head of Healthcare and Policy at Diabetes UK, Bridget Turner, reportedly commented: ” Living with diabetes can be challenging and the emotional stress of having to deal with this complex condition on a daily basis means specialist psychological services are crucial. People with diabetes need easy access to emotional support and some need more specific psychological support. Many psychiatric services in secondary care increasingly focus upon what has come to be known as ‘severe mental illness’ – in effect, psychotic conditions. The majority of people with diabetes who have significant psychological problems do not have severe mental illness and so need specialist diabetes, as opposed to generic, psychological help.”