There is no dearth of resources offering you information about diabetes today. You can go on to unravel so much information about diabetes diet, exercises, symptoms and health complications associated with the same. However, have you ever pondered on the fact that diabetes actually has notable emotional impact as well?
You can go ahead and ask the best diabetes doctor in town and he will also make you aware of the nuances of the emotional impact that diabetes can leave. Today, we will discuss the same as well.
The emotional impact of diabetes on the families of patients: What the studies have to say
Now, let us clarify from the very beginning that we are not going to talk only about the patients but their family members as well. There are a few diabetic patients who deal with diabetes management all by themselves and then there are others whose family members take a big part in the entire process. For them it’s an emotional journey where they have seen their loved ones battling the discrepancies that diabetes typically entail.
Until recently, there wasn’t much information available regarding the emotional impact diabetes had on the family members of the patients. It was only in the recent past that studies were conducted at the global level to estimate the emotional impact of diabetes on patients and family members. It was hoped that the results of these studies would facilitate psychological support in diabetes care.
The cause of distress revealed and more
The results of significant studies proved that diabetes left a substantial amount of burden on the family members. What more? The studies thus conducted actually focused on the spousal relationships that were affected by diabetes management as well. One of the studies, for example, highlighted that most of the couples were not well-versed with the CGM and diabetes – one of the factors that assumed a shape of difficulty and disappointment between couples.
Most of the spouses, it was found, were actually worried about hypoglycemia (which also means low blood sugar) as a result of which it was crucial for the respective partners to have just the right knowledge about CGM.
Diabetes may actually have different kinds of emotional impact on patients. It has been consistently proved that those who discuss with their family members more openly about their condition are bound to find it easier to cope with the disease than the ones who struggle to open up. The open discussions just pave the way for a better home environment for the patient as well. You can request a diabetologist to help you with further information regarding the emotional consequences of diabetes.
Your diabetes doctor will tell you that your own emotional well-being will help you in your fight against diabetes. If you’re worrying too much about the complications, and are feeling guilty about the fact that your diabetes management is sub-optimal and are stressed about why you’re eating, then diabetes management will actually turn out to be quite difficult.
