Can Type 2 Diabetes Affect Your Mental Health?
Managing type 2 diabetes can be stressful and overwhelming at times and may take a toll on your mental health. As this condition is largely self-managed, you are ultimately responsible for your day to day care and management of your diabetes.
Having to deal with this condition daily can be tiring and take a lot out of you emotionally and mentally. There is an increased risk of mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression, if you have diabetes and these issues need to be taken seriously.
Statistics show that up to 50 percent of diabetics have either or both of these disorders. These disorders can make it harder to manage daily care.
Anger and Denial
Having a variety of emotions when diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is completely normal. People can expect to have a range of negative emotions like fear, anger, denial, and hopelessness. Often people go through the same stages of emotions as they would in a grieving process. Anger and denial are usually the first stages to go through as they don’t want to acknowledge that they have diabetes.
People often become angry because of things like them feeling it is unfair that they have been diagnosed and friends or family who do the same as they do haven’t. Denial is another emotion that is common after diagnosis.
Many people refuse to believe that they have diabetes, although they need to come to the realization that they do as soon as possible, as it is an illness that cannot be ignored. There is always a natural fear that occurs with illness or serious condition as it is our body’s way of processing the news.
Any fears about diabetes should be voiced to your healthcare professional after diagnosis to put your mind at ease. There may be a sense of hopelessness when diagnosed but diabetes can be managed and is treatable. These are all completely normal emotions to feel when first diagnosed although in the long term these feelings can turn into depression, anxiety, and other psychological disorders.
Depression
Depression is a serious mental health issue and it’s not just a state of sadness or feeling down. This condition can make life difficult in many ways including making daily tasks and activities feel almost impossible.
Depression not only affects your mental health but also your physical health. Being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can double your risk of developing depression and this can be quite serious as it can lead to poor care of your diabetes.
Diabetics who are diagnosed with depression do not usually manage their condition well. Diabetes can be an overwhelming condition with having to continually control blood sugar levels and keep on top of meals and exercise. People with depression do not cope well under these pressures and may feel unmotivated to control the condition.
Research has shown that taking charge of your depression can significantly enhance the controls of your blood sugar levels, moods, and overall wellbeing.
Anxiety
People with type 2 diabetes can also suffer from anxiety and constant worry, due to issues that may arise, such as the potential for further complications and seeing bad blood sugar readings. Type 2 diabetics who are insulin dependent or require medications may also feel anxious when in public as they worry about what others think about them injecting insulin or taking tablets.
Anxiety also has some similar symptoms to having a hypoglycemic episode, or also known as a low blood sugar response. These symptoms include excessive sweating, trembling and an elevated heart rate. Anxiety, just like depression, also affects you physically not just mentally.
It is vital to seek professional help if you feel you have any sort of mental or physical disorders as your mental health is essential when you have diabetes.
Eating a healthy balanced diet and participating in physical activities including walking, sports or a gym can not only be good for your diabetes but is also a great tool to help your mental wellbeing.
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