Does Diabetes Cause Depression?
Many people don’t realize that individuals who have diabetes are at a greater risk of developing depression. In fact, simply having poor control over your blood sugar levels can mimic the same symptoms as depression. Feeling sad every once in a while is normal for everyone. After all, life doesn’t always go the way that we want it to. However, if you’re feeling this way more times than not, you might be suffering from depression.Many people with Type 2 diabetes are depressed about:
- receiving their diagnosis,
- changes they need to make in their life,
- alterations they have to make to their routine to keep blood sugar control.
No two people will respond in the same way on being told they have Type 2 diabetes, Responses range from quiet acceptance to intense anger. If you are lucky your doctor will take the time to discover what perceptions about diabetes you have.Most people who have diabetes don’t suffer from depression, however studies do show that people with diabetes are at a greater risk of developing it than those without the disease. There is no one clear-cut answer as to why this is true. It is stressful to live with the daily management of diabetes. It can make you feel quite alone and different from all of your friends and family. There’s no question it’s a lot of extra work to manage diabetes on a daily basis.
In addition to managing your blood sugar levels, you might also be dealing with complications from the disease. This can include things like nerve damage, kidney problems, high blood pressure and other associated complications.
There are several signs that you should look for when trying to spot depression in yourself or someone else. One sign is the loss of pleasure in things that you used to enjoy…
- if you feel like everything is a struggle and you really don’t want to do anything, this could be a sign of depression.
often times, depressed people report that they simply want to stay at home and not partake in activities that they used to enjoy so much. - if you’ve noticed a change in your sleep patterns, such as trouble falling asleep or sleeping more than usual, this could also be a sign of depression.
- if you wake up often during the night, that can also be a symptom.
On the other hand, getting up earlier than you normally do can be a sign of depression, especially if you can’t get back to sleep. A major change in appetite, such as eating way more or way less than you used to, can also be an indicator of depression.Depression can have all kinds of signs and symptoms including:
*suicidal thoughts,
*nervousness, and
*trouble concentrating.
If you or anyone you know appears to be suffering from depression, get help early. There’s absolutely no reason to continue feeling sad all the time. Speak with your doctor and they can give you some options to help you to start heading back in the right direction.
