Diabetes Living with Diabetes

Dealing with the Emotional Fallout of Type 2 Diabetes

Summary & Participants

Dealing with the emotional toll of a type 2 diabetes diagnosis is as crucial as treating the disease itself.

Medically Reviewed On: August 12, 2008

Webcast Transcript

SUSAN, HAS TYPE 2 DIABETES: I felt like it was a death sentence. It was all over. All I thought about is I was going to be on dialysis in years. I was too young for this.

ANNOUNCER: Susan was devastated when she found out she had type two diabetes. Her reaction was not uncommon.

ASTRID ALMODOVAR, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: They feel desperate. They feel abandoned. They feel like this is the end of the world.

ANNOUNCER: And while the disease is treatable, patients often feel overwhelmed by what it takes to control it.

ASTRID ALMODOVAR, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: There is a term known as "diabetes overwhelmus" when people get overwhelmed about what they have to eat, how much they should eat, how much exercise, what medication, the side effects. So it's really, really, really a very stressing illness for the patient.

ANNOUNCER: According to the American diabetes association, depression is more common among people with diabetes than the rest of the population. And that can make the disease harder to treat.

ASTRID ALMODOVAR, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: No patient who is depressed will get on with the program. If you have a patient that is depressed, you must screen and treat to remission because you can be very sure that a patient who is depressed is not going to say no to that cake. And a patient who is depressed is not going to poke himself three time a day to test their sugars.

ANNOUNCER: Getting therapy helped Susan overcome her emotional difficulties. Now she has her diabetes under control. And she doesn’t let it get her down.

SUSAN, HAS TYPE 2 DIABETES: I wear my medical alert bracelet, I’m proud of it. I like it. It's a nice piece of jewelry and I am not ashamed to talk about diabetes.

ANNOUNCER: Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily.