People with diabetes are at increased risk for depression. In fact, studies show people with diabetes are twice as likely to experience depression compared to individuals without diabetes.
The cause of depression in people living with the disease is presently not known. “This is a complicated issue as clinical depression, and diabetes distress are very interwoven,” explains Nicole M. Bereolos, Ph.D., MPH, CDE, clinical psychologist, a certified diabetes educator in Dallas, TX.
Diabetes can have a profound impact on your mental and emotional well-being. Coping with the daily challenges that come with the disease can make you feel defeated, depressed, angry or sad. “There are many hassles in living with diabetes, and the symptoms can overlap with clinical depression.
With true clinical depression, the symptoms span across multiple settings and with diabetes distress, the symptoms are more focused on diabetes-specific behaviors,” says Bereolos. “The major signs [of depression] that I come across are not getting joy out of things that one did in the past, wanting to be left alone, low energy, changes in sleep patterns, and sadness for unknown reasons.”
If you’ve begun to have such feelings—especially if they’re lingering or deepening—you may want to see someone who can help you determine if it is diabetes distress or depression.
The good news is depression, and diabetes distress are treatable. Standard treatments for depression provided by a psychologist or psychiatrist include