
Mental Health Care in Pediatric Diabetes: Overcoming Challenges and Barriers
Mental Health Care in Pediatric Diabetes: Overcoming Challenges and Barriers
Evidence-Based Diabetes Management > June 2017 Published on: June 21, 2017
Mental Health Care in Pediatric Diabetes: Overcoming Challenges and Barriers
The American Diabetes Association recently recognized the important role that psychosocial care plays in diabetes management. Addressing behavioral health needs at all stages of development in youth with diabetes is critical.
The financial burden of poorly controlled diabetes in childhood and adolescence is not fully evident until complications occur during adulthood. In 2010, researchers estimated that the annual cost of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in the United States was $14.4 billion, including medical costs and lost income.1Prevention of diabetes-related complications requires that providers who care for children and adolescents with diabetes address barriers to good control soon after diagnosis and at frequent intervals as patients progress developmentally.
As a self-management disease, diabetes requires patients to adjust their insulin regimens based on blood glucose patterns they have recognized (in relation to exercise, illness, type of foods eaten, etc). This requires the synthesis of information from different sources and depends upon cognitive function and attention to detail. Even with the most advanced technology (insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors, and hybrid closed loop systems), neurodevelopmental and behavioral issues can interfere with a childs ability to master diabetes self-management skills.2
Prevalence of Mental Hea
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