Power to Prevent - National Diabetes Education Program - National ...

If you have three or more of these symptoms, or if you have just one or two but have been feeling
bad for 2 weeks or more, it’s time to get help.
Getting Help
If you are feeling symptoms of depression, don’t keep them to yourself. First, talk them over with
your health care provider. There may a physical cause for your depression.
Diabetes that is in poor control can cause symptoms that look like depression. During the day, high
or low blood glucose can make you feel tired or anxious. Low blood glucose levels can also lead to
hunger and eating too much. If you have low blood glucose at night, it could disturb your sleep. If
you have high blood glucose at night, you may get up often to urinate and then feel tired during the
day.
Other physical causes of depression can include:
Alcohol or drug abuse
Thyroid problems
Side effects from some medications
Do not stop taking a medication without telling your health care provider. He or she will be able to
help you discover if a physical problem is at the root of your sad feelings.
If your health care provider rules out physical causes, he or she may treat you directly or refer you
to a mental health care provider. A mental health professional can contribute a lot to a diabetes
care team. Be sure to tell your mental health care provider if you are taking medication or other
treatment for diabetes. That way, your treatment plan can be coordinated. Some antidepressant
medications can raise blood glucose levels, but others do not, and some people with depression can
be treated without medications.
If you have symptoms of depression, don’t wait to get help. Talk to your health care
provider. Your local American Diabetes Association (888-DIABETES or www.diabetes.
org) may also be a good resource to locate counselors who have worked with people with
diabetes.
Anger
Diabetes is the perfect breeding ground for anger. Anger can start at diagnosis with the question,
“Why me?” You may dwell on how unfair diabetes is: “I’m so angry at this disease! I don’t want to
treat it. I don’t want to control it. I hate it!”
One reason diabetes and anger so often go hand in hand is that diabetes can make you
feel threatened. Life with diabetes can seem full of dangers—low blood glucose reactions or
complications. When you fear these threats, anger often surges to your defense.
While it’s true that out-of-control anger can cause more harm than good, that’s only part of
the story. Anger can also help you assert and protect yourself. You can learn to use your anger
constructively. You can even put it to work for better diabetes care.
NDEP Power to Prevent Appendices 90