Diabetes It not only affects your body but also your mind. There is not a single day when one can take a break from diabetes management and there is a need to constantly monitor your blood sugar levels to avoid health complications. The impact of fluctuating glucose levels on mood combined with the stress of taking medications, eating right, and staying active affects mental health of people with diabetes. People with diabetes can experience depression, anxiety, mood swings, among other similar problems. Self-care, therapy, setting small goals, keeping in touch with loved ones can help diabetics maintain good mental health. (Also read: 5 Ways Diabetes Can Affect Women’s Health)
“Research has shown that patients with diabetes suffer from depression 2-3 times more than the general population. However, it is often not diagnosed at the right time, so it is important when a diabetic patient feels unhappy, particularly boring when it leads to lifestyle changes in terms of activities, sleep, eating, and medication, then we know the patient has reached a level of depression where they need some type of therapy,” says Dr. Vipul Gupta, chief of neurointerventional surgery and co-director of the Stroke Unit, Artemis Hospital, Gurugram.
People with diabetes also feel more stressed than others. Dr. Gupta says that stress can cause an increase in stress hormones, which worsens blood sugar control, and when patients get stressed, they often lose the discipline to take their medications regularly and control their blood sugar levels.
HOW TO MANAGE MENTAL HEALTH IN PEOPLE WITH DIABETES
1. THERAPY
“Diabetes can cause adverse mental health effects. Rapid mood swings, anxiety, fatigue and stress are likely to occur. Self-care and lifestyle modification are very important in this condition. Therapy it helps to accept the condition and to develop positive beliefs about your life, emotional regulation and distress tolerance through various relaxation techniques,” says Dr. Rituparna Ghosh, Clinical Psychology Consultant Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai.
2. SMALL GOALS
Dr. Ghosh says it’s better to focus on small goals and achieve them every day than to think about achieving wellness all at once.
3. KEEP A JOURNAL
“A journal can help you organize your thoughts and emotional triggers, like the ways your diabetes changed your social life and how talking about it makes you feel sad, and then work to deal with it accordingly. Improve your emotional support system and familiar,” says Dr. Ghosh.
4. BE SOCIALLY ACTIVE
“Being socially active among peer groups and friends, exercising regularly, doing yoga and meditation are scientifically known to reduce stress levels,” says Dr. Gupta.
5. JOIN THE SUPPORT GROUP
Dr. Gupta says there are many support groups for diabetics that can also help them manage their mental health.
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