Is diabetes impacting your mental health?

How does diabetes affect my mental health and how does my mental health affect my diabetes?

Depression

Depression is a medical illness that can cause feelings of sadness and often a loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy. It can get affect your work and home life, including taking care of your diabetes. Depression can affect all levels of self-care. Diet, exercise, and other lifestyle choices may be impacted in a negative way if you’re experiencing depression which can then lead to poor blood sugar control.

People with diabetes are 2 to 3 times more likely to have depression than people without diabetes. Only 25% to 50% of people with diabetes who have depression get diagnosed and treated. But treatment—therapy, medicine, or both—is usually very effective. And without treatment, depression often gets worse, not better.

Anxiety

Anxiety—feelings of worry and fear—is how your mind and body react to stress. People with diabetes are 20% more likely than those without diabetes to have anxiety at some point in their life because they may experience excessive fear and worry about their management of diabetes. People with diabetes may become anxious over a variety of things including monitoring their glucose levels, weight, and diet, and possible progression of diabetes.

Anxiety can feel like low blood sugar and vice versa. It may be hard for you to recognize which it is and treat it effectively. If you’re feeling anxious, try checking your blood sugar and treat it if it’s low.

Diabetes Distress

Diabetes distress is the emotional distress resulting from living with diabetes and the burden of daily self-management. You may sometimes feel discouraged, worried, frustrated, or tired of dealing with daily diabetes care, like diabetes is controlling you instead of the other way around. Those overwhelming feelings, known as diabetes distress, may cause you to slip into unhealthy habits, stop checking your blood sugar, even skip doctor’s appointments. It happens to many—if not most—people with diabetes, often after years of good management.

Resources to consider

• If you need help managing stress, try a meditation app. 

  • Calm, a sleep, meditation, and relaxation app, has made many of its resources free for anyone to use.

  • Headspace, another guided meditation app, is providing meditations, sleep, and movement exercises free in their app in the “Weathering the storm” category.

• If you are experiencing negative thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that are occurring for 2 or more weeks, consider seeking professional help in the form of therapy or counseling.  

  • Telehealth coverage has greatly expanded during the pandemic, and many insurers have increased their mental health benefits and decreased or eliminated co-pays for COVID-19 treatment.

  • Check out www.psychologytoday.com to find a therapist near you.

  • Ask your primary care doctor, endocrinologist, or health clinic if there are any mental health resources they can refer you to (generally they may have relationships already with therapist they can refer you to).

• Online articles that share tips for managing stress and practicing self-care.

  • CDC’s website on stress and coping during the pandemic

  • Shine and Mental Health America’s “Coronavirus Anxiety Toolkit.”

  • Nicole Johnson’s ten tips to manage your stress during the pandemic