Depression in type 1 diabetics
Mind over matter, or matter over mind?
Dealing with life can be tough for the emotionally strongest, healthy people. Having to deal with the shock of a chronic illness, like type 1 diabetes, changes the ball game completely...
Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain. It's a mood disorder that causes a continues feeling of sadness and total loss of interest in events that previously excited a person. It affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. Being positive is hard, and thoughts of suicide is likely to cross the persons mind. Depression is not something that can simply be "snapped out" of. Usually, depression is oppressed by medication and psychological counselling. Some people can be "cured" from depression, while others might always have a slight or major depression.*
I had a lot of personal conflict after my diagnosis. I was in complete denial that something like this would just hit me. Since I'm a religious person, I was so mad at God for punishing me. I kept asking "why me". I know I'm not perfect, but I'm not the worse person alive. I sometimes still wonder why...
I had and still have a lot of questions. One of them, is why and how did I get type 1 diabetes. Various factors may contribute to the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, including genetics and exposure to certain viruses. Lets accept that as the reason why t1d's pancreases stopped producing insulin. As for the majority of illnesses and viruses, there are cures. I remembered when I finally realized that there is no cure... I felt so betrayed and disappointed. About 20 children between the ages of 0 to 14 years out of 100 000, are diagnosed as type 1 diabetics.* How is it possible that no one can develop a cure? I have too many questions that leads to the response of "It's on the horizon" and "I'm truly sorry, but I don't know either".
That leads to even more questions.
I'm pretty sure that if you ask any type 1 diabetic whether they ever felt depressed, they will admit it. Sometimes we have breakdowns, when you're high, or really low or just never in range, we crash. I would say that it's expected. If you are able to always be positive and smile, even though you feel like you're killing yourself from the inside, you are truly amazing. (I do recommend having a small breakdown or rage every now and then to prevent having a crash, this is out of personal experience)
Our bodies are truly amazing. You're not telling your heart to beat every second, or blinking your eyes a few times a minute. It just happens. Once something stop working automatically, we have to act to stay alive. (Not as if we actually have a choice, now do we?) Having the responsibility of partly maintaining your own homeostasis is an extremely big responsibility. Like really big.
Initially, we all tested our boundaries. Not injecting for this and eating that. Skipping a meal here and intentionally leaving our medication at home to "fit in". We all are irresponsible sometimes. It makes us feel more "normal" (certainly not our glucose levels, but we feel free from attachments) And it's good to feel free, but it's not good for your mental health on the long run. People with type 1 diabetes with higher than normal A1C levels, are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, or to go undiagnosed.*
Going to my endocrinologist visits, just to receive bad news, like my A1C is 12, or that the likelihood of me successfully conceiving one day is low, totally destroyed all hope left. To any one, hearing something like that is devastating. Receiving bad news while being depressed, is a really dangerous place to be. Trust me on this one.
Signs that you or your child might be suffering from depression includes:
- feel hopeless and helpless
- complaining about everything
- intentionally neglecting their body, like not checking glucose as usual
- lost interest in friends, activities, and things you used to enjoy
- constantly tired
- insomnia or constantly sleeping
- lost of appitite or over eating
- concentration becomes a problem
- always a negative feeling
- easily irritable with a short temper and anger issues
- becoming more daring and reckless
- starting to take drugs or excessive alcohol to escape the feeling
- thinking that being dead will be better than alive
How to cope with possible depression:
- speak up and get help, tell someone you trust
- see your doctor
- see a therapist
- get the right medication
- try to do more fun things
- get more vitamin D
- take things easy
- It's all in your mind
- stop seeking attention
- pull yourself together
- it's not that bad
- snap out of it
- no one ever said life was fair
- why is there always something wrong?
- look how privileged you are
When someone is really depressed, anything can be a trigger to suicide, especially in teens and young adults. Try never to be too positive nor too critic.
References (*)
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/basics/definition/con-20032977
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-1-diabetes/basics/definition/con-20019573
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/depression-signs-and-symptoms.htm
http://psychcentral.com/lib/worst-things-to-say-to-someone-whos-depressed/
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