Topic: Diabetes and Mental Health
1. How has diabetes affected your emotions surrounding food & body image?
This is a hard question to answer since until I had to go on insulin I didn’t really have an issue with food in general, I ate because I had to eat other wise I didn’t feel well – but now that I’m on insulin I have to watch what I eat or I end up going too low or too high. But its not really an emotional responce to food so not sure it really applies here.
As to body image, having Diabetes hasn’t effect how I see myself or my image of myself, so I don’t really understand the question since its not something I’ve had to deal with, and I hope its not something that ever becomes an issue for me to deal with.
2. Do you feel you need help w/the mental health aspects of living w/diabetes?
No
3.What can a parent of a CWD do to help reduce the emotional impact of caring for diabetes?
I have no idea not a parent and I wont be one – best I can say is treat the child as you would treat a child who didn’t have diabetes.
3.5 What can a parent of an adult with diabetes do to help reduce the emotional impact of caring for diabetes?
No idea about reducing the emotional impact since everyone deals with having diabetes differently, I know I was there for my mom when she got told she had it, but she also make my dads and my life a living nightmare when it came to what foods she would allow in the home or not allow around. Made for a hard time as a child growing up, and when I became diabetic 20 odd years later all she did was say “eat as you have been you will find your own balance” So the best I can say is be there for who ever it is that has diabetes, but don’t be the diabetic police on them, let them learn what works for them and go on from there, they will learn in time what is right for them and what is wrong.
4. What would you like to see change in diabetes care in regards to mental health?
No idea, since this isn’t an area that I’ve had to worry about or deal with