The Diabetes Association draws attention to the mental impact of diabetes

Almost half of people with diabetes (49%) feel mentally exhausted, and seven in ten believe too little attention is paid to mental support. This is evidenced by a study conducted by the Diabetes Association on the occasion of World Diabetes Day on November 14. The organization therefore invites people to talk about it and make the situation more open to discussion.

Medical care for people with diabetes may be well developed in our country, but it is still very difficult mentally for people with this condition. And not just for them. The survey of about two thousand Flemish people showed that seven out of ten parents of children with diabetes also feel mentally tired, and nine out of ten believe that there is too little psychological guidance. Parents of teenagers in particular suffer from headaches.

The Diabetes Association calls these numbers a wake-up call. “Guidance for diabetics should not be limited to the medical aspect. (…) Diabetes exists 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and cannot be paused. This means that diabetics have to build routines,” says Inge Evaert, coordinator of the Knowledge Center team. Diabetes Association Policy and Research: “They modify their eating patterns, and sometimes they have to change their entire lifestyle (…). “The psychological aspect often remains unrevealed.”

In addition, more than a third of those surveyed (36%) feel guilty towards those around them for having diabetes. About sixteen percent say they are bothered by the fact that others consider them inferior because they have diabetes, and thirty percent fear that their diabetes is also a disadvantage in the workplace. By making the condition more open to discussion, the association hopes there will be more understanding and support for people with diabetes.