Mental health plays an important role in the treatment of diabetes: WHO defines diabetes as a disease caused by bad living habits, and psychological factors play an important role in the occurrence and progression of the disease. China’s Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes (2017 Edition) mention that “mental health is part of diabetes management, improving the depression and anxiety of diabetic patients, helping patients get rid of bad psychology as soon as possible and regain their self-confidence.” However, the current situation is not optimistic. People with diabetes bear a significant psychological burden.
What psychological changes will occur after getting diabetes?
When patients hear that they have diabetes, their first feeling is "surprise and incomprehension" and "deny" the fact. Common emotions among patients with diabetes include “Why me?” “I don’t want to get this disease!” “I don’t want treatment!” When the disease recurs, they will feel guilty and self-blame. Some patients experience depression, withdrawal from social interactions, etc. Depressive symptoms are often characterized by persistent changes such as interruptions in sleep, fatigue, appetite, and lack of interest in daily activities for several weeks, which may interfere with self-care for patients with diabetes.
Once anxiety occurs, it manifests as fear, anxiety, palpitation and other unpleasant experiences, which sometimes lead to patients not following medical advice and resisting treatment plans. Insulin injections are a common cause of anxiety in people with diabetes. Many patients are apprehensive and blindly fearful about starting insulin. If you’re feeling this way, don’t feel alone, there are many people out there with similar experiences, but whether you’re currently having insulin concerns or not, it’s important to stay emotionally healthy…
So, how to resolve negative emotions and get rid of psychological misunderstandings?
Method 1: Supportive psychotherapy: Provide supportive psychotherapy through explanation, reasoning, guidance, comfort, etc. to help patients eliminate various negative emotional reactions. Method 2: Cognitive behavioral therapy: Help patients understand basic knowledge about diabetes and eliminate inappropriate predictions, misunderstandings and false beliefs. Certain behavioral therapy techniques can help patients comply with medication and diet control plans, including blood glucose self-monitoring, behavior reinforcement, behavior shaping therapy, etc. One-to-one targeted communication between patients and therapists to identify the causes of negative emotions and intervene can significantly improve patients' blood sugar levels. Medical staff should tell patients that as the disease progresses, pancreatic islet function declines at a rate of about 5% per year. The use of exogenous insulin supplementation or replacement therapy is an inevitable result of the progression of diabetes and does not mean an aggravation of the condition.
To sum up briefly, patients with diabetes have a heavy psychological burden, and psychological care is particularly important. Diabetes is a progressive disease. It is normal for patients to experience a variety of emotional changes, but they must be relieved in time to avoid the accumulation of negative emotions. Patients receiving insulin treatment have a psychological burden It is more heavy and prone to negative emotions. Targeted and individualized counseling can help manage patients' emotional health and reduce their psychological burden.
