Diabetes can affect your whole life — including your mental health

Around 1.35 million Australians have type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Could you be one of them?

Diabetes is a disorder of sugar processing leading to unhealthy blood sugar levels.

There are three main types of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body’s immune system attacks and damages the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. When this happens, the body can no longer produce insulin to control blood sugar.

People with type 1 diabetes need lifelong insulin injections.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is where cells in the body become resistant to insulin. This means they stop taking up sugar from the blood.

Risk factors include:

• a family history of diabetes
• poor diet
• not enough exercise
• obesity

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes happens during pregnancy. The condition usually disappears once the baby is born.

If you have gestational diabetes, you’re at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

How do you know if you have diabetes?

High blood sugar levels cause typical symptoms such as excessive thirst and needing to urinate more often.

Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage vital organs, including the kidney and eyes.

Doctors can diagnose diabetes using blood tests. Early diagnosis means you can start treatment sooner and get your blood sugar levels back to a healthy level.

Diabetes and mental health

Managing diabetes can be mentally and emotionally taxing. People with diabetes contend with so many extra decisions — up to 180 each day — related to:

• diet
• medication
• exercise

Managing such challenges can lead to anxiety, distress and depression. In fact, more than one in three people living with diabetes struggles with their mental health.

If you think you need help managing your diabetes — or your mental health — our doctors are here to help you. Our telehealth consultations are 100% confidential. So you can get the professional, private and discrete support you need. 

Getting the support you need

Another way for people with diabetes to support their health is through National Diabetes Week (11 – 17 July 2021).  This is an annual event to raise awareness of diabetes.

The theme this year is Heads Up on Diabetes. This spotlights the emotional and mental health struggles of people living with diabetes.

This includes feelings of blame or guilt related to a diagnosis of diabetes. Sometimes this is called ‘stigma’.

Talking about mental health struggles is more important than ever, given the challenges introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

But it’s not only the mental health challenges of managing diabetes that has increased. It’s also been harder to:

• prioritise regular appointments with a GP
• make sure you have the diabetes medicines you need, when you need them
• keep up with blood tests

You should always talk to a doctor about the right treatment for you.