Diabetes And Depression: Coping With The Two Conditions
What's the connection between diabetes and depression? How can I cope if I have both? Answers from M. Regina Castro, M.D. If you have diabetes — either type 1 or type 2 — you have an increased risk of developing depression. And if you're depressed, you may have a greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes. The good news is that diabetes and depression can be treated together. And effectively managing one can have a positive effect on the other. How they're related Though the relationship between diabetes and depression isn't fully understood: The rigors of managing diabetes can be stressful and lead to symptoms of depression. Diabetes can cause complications and health problems that may worsen symptoms of depression. Depression can lead to poor lifestyle decisions, such as unhealthy eating, less exercise, smoking and weight gain — all of which are risk factors for diabetes. Depression affects your ability to perform tasks, communicate and think clearly. This can interfere with your ability to successfully manage diabetes. Managing the two conditions together Diabetes self-management programs. Diabetes programs that focus on behavior have been successful in helping people improve their metabolic control, increase fitness levels, and manage weight loss and other cardiovascular disease risk factors. They can also help improve your sense of well-being and quality of life. Psychotherapy. Similarly, participants in psychotherapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy, have reported improvements in depression, which has resulted in better diabetes management. Medications and lifestyle changes. Medications — for both diabetes and depression — and lifestyle changes, including different types of therapy coupled with regular exercise, can improve both conditions. C Continue reading >>
How Diabetes Causes Mood Swings (and What To Do About It)
Diabetes Mood Swings: The Roller Coaster You Don’t Want to Ride All of a sudden you feel it: your teeth are clenched, your blood is boiling and you wonder if people can see the smoke coming out your ears. Is it possible that type 2 diabetes caused this sudden mood change? Yes. Not only can diabetes be responsible for mood changes, but it can take a toll on your emotions in general. From anger to depression to anxiety, diabetes can take you across a spectrum of feelings. This roller coaster can leave you just plain exhausted. Let’s take a look first at the feelings and possible causes and then at some ways to cope. Anger A common feeling, whether you’ve just been diagnosed or had diabetes for years, is anger. Not only are many diabetics angry at being diagnosed with the disease and ask “Why me?” but they are also made to feel guilty that their own lifestyle choices have led them to this diagnosis. This can build up and start to cause resentment problems in the relationships with those that may not be as supportive as they could be. Depression There are many reasons those of us with diabetes can feel depressed. With a diabetes diagnosis comes the need for many lifestyle changes — and that is not an easy task. If you are someone who never really paid attention to what you ate and didn’t have a set exercise routine, you will find the new requirements of counting carbs and getting some exercise in to be a bit daunting at first. Many people will also be unhappy with having to take medicines and the fact that these medicines may have unwanted side effects such as sexual dysfunction and digestion issues. The burden alone of the daily management of diabetes can be a cause of depression. Anxiety Anxiety is also common among people with a chronic illness such as diab Continue reading >>
New Links Seen Between Depression And Diabetes
Archives of Internal Medicine. "People usually think of these as two isolated conditions, but there is growing evidence that they are linked behaviorally and biologically,” says study researcher Frank Hu, MD, PhD, MPH, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. “This data provide strong evidence that we should not consider these two isolated conditions any longer.” About 23.5 million Americans have diabetes, and about 14.8 million Americans have major depressive disorder in a given year, according to statistics in the new report. Of the 65,381 women aged 50 to 75 in 1996 who were study participants, 2,844 women were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and 7,415 women developed depression in the ensuing 10 years. Depression and Diabetes Risk Depression increased the risk for diabetes, and diabetes increased the risk for depression, the study shows. Specifically, women who were depressed were 17% more likely to develop diabetes even after the researchers adjusted for other risk factors such as weight and lack of regular exercise. Those women who were taking antidepressants were 25% more likely to develop diabetes than their counterparts who were not depressed, the study shows. Women with diabetes were 29% more likely to develop depression after taking into account other depression risk factors, and those women who took insulin for their diabetes were 53% more likely to develop depression during the 10-year study. While certain factors such as physical activity and body mass index may partially explain the link between depression and diabetes, they do not completely explain the connection, Hu tells WebMD. The common denominator may be stress, Hu says. People who are depressed have elevated levels of stress hormones such Continue reading >>
> Diabetes: Dealing With Feelings
Are you asking yourself, "Why me?" Getting used to living with diabetes can be a challenge, and that's true whether you've just been diagnosed or you've lived with diabetes for a while. When people are first diagnosed with diabetes, they might be nervous about getting shots or medical tests and scared about how diabetes will affect their future health. In the beginning, almost everyone thinks that they will never be able to do the blood sugar testing or insulin injections they need to stay healthy. But after working with doctors and learning more about diabetes, these things start feeling like less of a big deal. Over time, shots and checks can become like brushing teeth or taking a shower — just another daily routine you do to stay healthy. Eventually, some people even start to feel pretty good about the fact that they can do all the things they need to do to manage their diabetes on their own. It's perfectly normal for people with diabetes to feel sad, angry, confused, upset, alone, embarrassed, and even jealous. It's common to think things like: "I feel embarrassed giving myself shots in front of people. One day I had to give myself an insulin shot in the bathroom at the train station and this guy looked at me like I was doing drugs. That felt humiliating." "Why do I have to go through this when my friends don't have to follow a meal plan, test their blood sugar levels, or have shots all the time?" "I worry that I'm a burden on my family. I feel guilty that my dad has drive me to doctor's appointments and pay for it all." "I get angry at my mom. I know she worries about me, but she's always nagging me about what I eat and stuff. My kid sister has it easy." "Sometimes I feel like I must have done something bad to deserve this." Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Depression: A Toxic Combo For Suicide
Diabetes and Suicide More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, diabetes, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, COMBINED. It is the 2nd leading cause of death in kids aged 10-24 and the 4th leading cause of death of people aged 25-54. Depression, especially when combined with other disorders and diseases, can make you feel like your back is against the wall with no moves left to make with a feeling of hopelessness, sparking suicidal thoughts. Add the burden of diabetes, the (at times) seemingly impossible management, health care costs, and a slew of other problems brought on by diabetes, depression can really cloud better judgment in both kids and adults struggling with the disease. After looking into suicide rates in the Type 1 diabetes community, I was speechless in what I found. Depression and Diabetes: A Toxic Combo for Suicide Ask anyone with the condition—Diabetes management is a grueling process that requires 100% attention to detail, day in and day out. There is no downtime. No breaks. From endless medication administration to restrictive food choices to the blood sugar roller coasters that occur to diabetic complications like blindness, heart and kidney failure, and limb amputation, are all occurrences that people who are non-diabetics don’t have to deal with. It can be very frustrating and depressing— especially if you don’t know many other people who can empathize or relate. The link between diabetes and suicide is depression. Roughly 16 percent of the general population experience depression, but the percentage is nearly doubled for diabetics as seen in a meta-analysis reviewing 39 studies with a combined total of 20,218 subjects. “Mortality rates in people who have both diabetes and de Continue reading >>
Depression More Deadly For Diabetics
Treating some diabetic patients for depression may help prolong their lives, according to new research. Investigators at the University of Pennsylvania divided 600 older patients with depression, including 123 who also had diabetes, into two groups. One group received care from primary care doctors, including drug therapy, counseling or both. The other group received a more focused treatment coordinated by a depression case manager. Five years later, 110 patients had died. The leading cause was heart attack; only one patient had committed suicide. Notably, the researchers found that treatment of depression did not influence death rates among the otherwise healthy patients. But death rates among the diabetic patients were affected: the group who had received care from case managers were half as likely to die as those who had received less intensive care, the researchers discovered. The report appears in the current issue of Diabetes Care. Although previous studies have demonstrated a link between depression and diabetes, this research is the first to show that aggressive treatment of depression can prolong the lives of diabetic patients. Dr. Hillary Bogner, assistant professor of family medicine at the university and the study’s lead author, says that even though both groups were under the care of a primary care doctor, the depression case managers likely were instrumental in helping their patients remember to take medications and attend therapy, and in monitoring side effects and advising doctors on patients’ progress. Other studies have linked depression and heart attack risk. Among the more than 93,000 women participating in the Women’s Health Initiative, depressed women were found to have a 50 percent greater risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular dise Continue reading >>
Diabetes, Depression And Stress
Depression is not generally listed as a complication of diabetes. However, it can be one of the most common and dangerous complications. The rate of depression in diabetics is much higher than in the general population. Diabetics with major depression have a very high rate of recurrent depressive episodes within the following five years. (Lustman et al 1977) A depressed person may not have the energy or motivation to maintain good diabetic management. Depression is frequently associated with unhealthy appetite changes. The suicidal diabetic adolescent has constant access to potentially lethal doses of insulin. At this point in time, it is well accepted that psychological factors and psychiatric conditions can affect the course of medical illnesses. There is some suggestion that the stress of depression itself may lead to hyperglycemia in diabetics. The interaction between cardiovascular disorders (such as heart attack and high blood pressure) and depression has been extensively studied. Anxiety and depression can also affect other conditions including irritable bowel syndrome, headache and skin diseases. Treatment of anxiety and depression may lead to a better medical prognosis and well as a better quality of life. For over three hundred years, physicians have suspected an interaction between the emotions and the course of diabetes mellitus. Studies have examined whether stressful events or psychiatric illness might precipitate either Type I (insulin-dependent) or Type II (Non-insulin dependent) diabetes. So far, study results are not conclusive. Now that we have more accurate methods of measuring glucose control, it has become easier to measure both short-term and long-term effects of emotional factors on blood glucose level. One study found that children judged to hav Continue reading >>
This One Thing Might Help People Who Have Both Diabetes And Depression
(Reuters Health) - People who have both diabetes and depression may have an easier time keeping their blood sugar levels under control if they also take medication to address their mental health symptoms, a U.S. study suggests. Diabetics can be more prone to depression and stress than other individuals, and these mental health problems are linked to increased risks of dangerously high blood sugar levels and other serious complications, previous research has found. When diabetics do get depressed, however, taking antidepressants is linked to 95 percent higher odds that their blood sugar will be well controlled, the current study found. “We don’t know the mechanism by which the use of antidepressants is associated with better blood sugars in those patients with both conditions,” said lead study author Dr. Jay Brieler of Saint Louis University School of Medicine. It’s possible that when depression improves, people may be more likely to follow a healthy diet, exercise, check their blood sugars and keep up with medications for diabetes, Brieler said by email. Scientists are also exploring whether there’s a physiologic connection between the two diseases, which might mean shifts in stress hormones tied to antidepressant use might also affect blood sugars. “Regardless of the mechanism, I think that our study adds to the evidence that it is important to properly diagnose and treat depression in diabetics,” Brieler added. Brieler and colleagues reviewed electronic medical records for about 1,400 diabetics, including lab tests for blood sugar and prescription data on antidepressant use, from 2008 to 2013. On average, patients were around 62 years old. Most were obese. All of them had type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes, which happens when the body can’t properly use Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Depression
The impact of this widespread disease on the brain is often overlooked. The complications of uncontrolled diabetes are well recognized: nerve damage, kidney disease, blindness, and circulation problems that affect the extremities. The disease’s impact on the brain, however, is often overlooked. This oversight could spell trouble for millions of Americans who face the daily challenge of controlling their blood sugar. Get more news from "On the Brain" the Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute newsletter An estimated 26 million Americans have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Another 79 million have prediabetes, a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis. A growing body of evidence suggests that the cognitive health of millions with the disease is as much at risk as are other body systems from the effects of out-of-control blood sugar. “Unlike for certain other diseases, scientists originally didn’t know where to look in the brain for the effects of diabetes,” said Gail Musen, an HMS assistant professor of psychiatry and assistant investigator in the Section on Clinical, Behavioral, and Outcomes Research at Joslin Diabetes Center. “We knew, theoretically, that because it affects so much else in the body, it also could affect the brain,” she said. Since Musen’s first study of diabetes and brain function nearly a decade ago, the scientific community has gained a greater understanding of how diabetes—primarily type 1 diabetes—affects brain function. Shrinking brain Musen’s 2006 study, reported in the journal Diabetes, was the first comprehensive study of density changes in the brain’s gray matter as a result of type 1 diabetes. Its findings suggested that persistent Continue reading >>
You May Feel Angry Or Depressed After A Diabetes Diagnosis
Kowalski felt better after learning more about diabetes.(MICHELLE KOWALSKI)If you've been diagnosed with diabetes you may feel angry or depressed. When Michelle Kowalski, 33, of Mexico, Mo., was diagnosed with diabetes, she was furious. She was angry with herself for getting diabetes. And she resented all the changes she had to make in her life. "I'm sort of a perfectionist, and so I guess having something wrong with me, and having other people tell me 'This is what you need to eat, and this is how you should exercise,' I wanted to punch them all in the face," she says. "I suspect that lot of people who get a health diagnosis that's not ideal get angry." Kicked in the StomachI thought I could never have cake again Watch videoMore about diabetes Depression is not uncommon Depression is twice as likely in people with diabetes as in those without it. However, depression can rob you of the ability to cope with the disease. People with diabetes who are depressed are less likely to follow their diabetes plan, often resulting in more complications and a greater likelihood of hospitalization than those who aren't depressed. One study published in 2005 by the American Diabetes Association found that people with diabetes who were depressed were nearly 2.5 times as likely to die during an eight-year period than people with just diabetes alone. "Diabetes and depression really go together. When people get depressed, they don't really focus on how they eat and how they structure their lives. Diabetes is a condition that requires scheduling, planning, and being proactive about when you're going to eat," says Margaret Savoca, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. "If you have a tendency to get down about stuff, tha Continue reading >>
Emotional Health
We understand that living with type 1 diabetes can be really tough and different to many other chronic conditions Constant management and ongoing targets and tests can be overwhelming and it’s normal to feel stressed or low about living with the condition. Identifying that there might be problems in your life that impact your type 1 diabetes, and talking about any issues with your health care team, is important. They’ll be able to help you with your needs and priorities and could give you additional support if you need it. Keeping an eye out for depression Living with type 1 diabetes means you’re more than twice as likely to experience depression than those who don’t. That’s why it’s really important to keep a look out for the signs and seeking help. Symptoms of depression can include more than two weeks of: Feeling sad, down or miserable most of the time Losing interest or pleasure in most of your usual activities Becoming withdrawn, not going out Not doing things you used to enjoy Thoughts about being a failure, being worthless, life is not worth living Feeling overwhelmed, tearful, guilty, irritable Having physical symptoms such as feeling tired all the time, having a churning gut, disturbed sleep and poor appetite. If you experience some or all of these symptoms, it’s recommended that you speak to your doctor as soon as possible, so they can recommend the right treatment for you. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your doctor, charities like Mind and Depression UK have lots of information on their websites and telephone numbers to speak to someone about your feelings. Type 1 diabetes ‘burn-out’ Managing your type 1 diabetes is like a ‘job’, and the day-to-day effort can become too hard and frustrating, especially when the results are no Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes And Depression
Chronic illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes, may cause more than physical problems. Dealing with a disease like type 2 diabetes means constantly being aware of what you eat, what you do, and how you live. And adjusting to life with diabetes does take effort. Yet even after you’ve adjusted, there may be times when the stress of a daily illness just gets you down. Most people feel blue from time to time. But depression isn’t just feeling sad or blue. Depression is a serious disorder that interferes with your life. If depression symptoms become severe, they may make it difficult to function well and manage daily activities like going to school or work, meeting family obligations, and monitoring your blood glucose. Depression and Diabetes: Who Is Affected According to statistics, depression affects people with diabetes more often than people without it — up to 15 percent compared with 6.7 percent in the general population. When depression occurs along with a chronic illness like type 2 diabetes, the symptoms tend to hit harder and be more severe. Compounding the problem further, the symptoms of the chronic illness can become worse if depression leads you to miss medication doses, overeat, or skip exercise. This could set off a downward cycle. For people with diabetes, this may mean poorer blood glucose control, which, in turn, means more long-term health complications. Researchers aren’t entirely clear on the relationship between diabetes and depression — is depression caused by diabetes, or do people who are already prone to developing depression experience it more severely if they also have type 2 diabetes? Whatever the connection, both illnesses need to be treated. The good news is that both depression and type 2 diabetes can improve when treated simultaneously. Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Depression
Managing type 1 or type 2 diabetes, chronic autoimmune diseases, can be highly challenging due to setbacks and many challenges along the way. The constant vigilance required to manage blood sugar, navigate health care services, medication side effects, and other related health conditions can lead to an increased risk of depression. Left untreated, depression can result in poor lifestyle choices that worsen physical health. If you have diabetes, or someone you love does, it’s important to be aware of the risk of developing depression. Researchers have found that the two conditions occur twice as frequently as you would predict based on chance, meaning that diabetes and depression affect each other in some ways. 1 The relationship between type 2 diabetes and depression is bidirectional, meaning that each can put a person at risk for the other.2 If a person has depression, they are at a higher risk of leading a sedentary lifestyle and eating foods that are sugary or fatty, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. If they already have type 2 diabetes, the burnout that can come with managing the disease, can lead to depression. Meanwhile, people with type 1 diabetes— which is not caused by diet or lifestyle factors, but rather a result of a pancreas that cannot manufacture insulin—can also be incredibly challenging to manage, which puts one at risk for developing depressive symptoms.3 Once depressive symptoms develop, it can become increasingly difficult to manage diabetes and can lead to physical complications and decreased life expectancy. If you’re not sure whether you might be suffering from depression, you can look for these signs:4 Lack of interest in activities Depressed mood or irritability Changes in sleep patterns Changes in appetite Feelings of guilt or despair Continue reading >>
Does Emotional Stress Cause Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus? A Review From The European Depression In Diabetes (edid) Research Consortium
Specialty: Psychiatry, Epidemiology, Endocrinology Institution: Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic Diseases (CoRPS), Tilburg University Address: Tilburg, Netherlands Author: Nina Kupper Specialty: Psychology, Biology Institution: Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic Diseases (CoRPS), Tilburg University Address: Tilburg, Netherlands Author: Marcel C Adriaanse Specialty: Epidemiology, Psychology Institution: Section of Prevention and Public Health, Department of Health Sciences and EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Amsterdam Address: Amsterdam, 1081 HV, Netherlands Abstract: According to the World Health Organization, approximately 220 million people worldwide have type 2 diabetes mellitus. Patients with type 2 diabetes not only have a chronic disease to cope with, they are also at increased risk for coronary heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. The exact causes of type 2 diabetes are still not clear. Since the 17th century, it has been suggested that emotional stress plays a role in the etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. So far, review studies have mainly focused on depression as a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Yet, chronic emotional stress is an established risk factor for the development of depression. The present review provides an overview of mainly prospective epidemiological studies that have investigated the associations between different forms of emotional stress and the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Results of longitudinal studies suggest that not only depression but also general emotional stress and anxiety, sleeping problems, anger, and hostility are associated with an increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes. Conf Continue reading >>
Diabetes, Parental Sorrow And Depression
Editor’s Note: This article was originally written by patient expert Kim Benjet. I’ve talked to many, many parents of diabetic children and I’m always amazed at the parents’ laser like focus on the diabetes care and the subjugation of their own personal needs in their efforts to keep their child healthy. Diabetes magnifies parental sacrifice by calling for less sleep, more intense relationships through the incredible task of "playing the pancreas" by monitoring blood sugar and delivering insulin 24 hours a day, every day. Little is written about what happens to the parent in all of this. Most parents I know don’t want to be narcissistic and complain of their own sacrifices and challenges. They see the real challenge as the child’s. The child has the disease, not the parent. I beg to differ. Yes, the child has the disease and feels the high and low blood sugars and all the other assaults of diabetes. But look into the parents’ sleep deprived eyes and you’ll see they feel it to - all the time. The tears are just behind the eyes in so, so many parents I know. These are parents who have lived with diabetes for weeks and parents who have successfully managed it for years. The tears are still right there. Shortly after Josh was diagnosed our nurse practitioner said to me, "Josh has diabetes, but the disease is yours". I quickly learned what she meant. It was my husband’s and my job to "play pancreas", to make Josh’s body work effectively so the disease didn’t get in the way of his childhood. The developmental parenting challenge I now struggle with is that I have to slowly hand over the diabetes management to Josh and help him to be responsible for his care. But I don’t want him to have to deal with diabetes — I want to fix it — but I cannot. And, Continue reading >>
