The pervasiveness and complexity of psychological depression among people who have been diagnosed with diabetes has should not be taken too lightly. 20% to 30% of those who have been diagnosed with diabetes will experience significant depression due to the severity of the diagnosis and the life sentence it brings with it. Depression among those with diabetics is three times higher than the general population.
t is important that those who have been diagnosed with diabetes have access to the psychological and emotional support they require to help them cope with or come to terms with living with diabetes.
Diabetes assistance, development of psychological support services for people with diabetes help, has gained momentum. It has long been recognized that there is a very high prevalence of clinically significant psychological distress in the population of people with diabetes:
• 20-30% experience significant depression
• Over 40% report clinically significant levels of anxiety
• Eating disorders are far more common in people with diabetes than in the general population
Psychological distress leads to non-compliance, and consequent microvascular and macrovascular complications, and should therefore be seen as a cause (and not merely a consequence) of diabetes complications. Despite these problems, it is undoubtedly people who have been diagnosed with diabetes themselves who have been most prominent in identifying psychological support as a priority for service development. For instance, in a recent medical study in Northern Ireland, 1314 people who have diabetes gave their opinions on service development priorities. Access to psychological support was the single most requested improvement, cited by 32% of respondents.
According to health science studies as many as 85 per cent of adults suffering from diabetes 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.
Living with diabetes is difficult and the emotional stress of having to deal with this difficult condition on a daily basis means specialist psychological services are crucial. People living with diabetes need easy access to emotional support and some need more specific psychological support. Many psychiatric services typically focus on what are commonly referred to 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 assistance, as opposed to generic, psychological help.
t is important that those who have been diagnosed with diabetes have access to the psychological and emotional support they require to help them cope with or come to terms with living with diabetes.
Diabetes assistance, development of psychological support services for people with diabetes help, has gained momentum. It has long been recognized that there is a very high prevalence of clinically significant psychological distress in the population of people with diabetes:
• 20-30% experience significant depression
• Over 40% report clinically significant levels of anxiety
• Eating disorders are far more common in people with diabetes than in the general population
Psychological distress leads to non-compliance, and consequent microvascular and macrovascular complications, and should therefore be seen as a cause (and not merely a consequence) of diabetes complications. Despite these problems, it is undoubtedly people who have been diagnosed with diabetes themselves who have been most prominent in identifying psychological support as a priority for service development. For instance, in a recent medical study in Northern Ireland, 1314 people who have diabetes gave their opinions on service development priorities. Access to psychological support was the single most requested improvement, cited by 32% of respondents.
According to health science studies as many as 85 per cent of adults suffering from diabetes 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.
Living with diabetes is difficult and the emotional stress of having to deal with this difficult condition on a daily basis means specialist psychological services are crucial. People living with diabetes need easy access to emotional support and some need more specific psychological support. Many psychiatric services typically focus on what are commonly referred to 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 assistance, as opposed to generic, psychological help.
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