Check Your Emotional Health

For People with Diabetes:

Check Your Emotional Health

Chronic Disease and Depression
Diabetes is a chronic disease. A chronic disease is any illness that lasts a long time and needs ongoing care. Other examples of a chronic disease are asthma, cancer and arthritis. Recent studies show that people with a chronic disease may be more likely to experience feelings of depression. Everyone feels “down in the dumps” or “blue” occasionally, but if you have any signs of depression (see below) for a long period of time (two weeks or more) see your doctor right away. Your doctor will talk with you about your symptoms and rule out any physical causes, then he or she will recommend the treatment that’s right for you.

Signs of Depression

Eating a lot more or less than usual
Feeling worse in the morning than during the rest of the day
Frequent crying
Fatigue (tired all the time), nervousness or anxiety
Having trouble concentrating
Having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
Losing or gaining weight without trying
Not caring about things you used to like to do
Thinking about dying or ways to hurt yourself

Visit these sites for more information:
American Academy of Family Physicians – Depression: You Don’t Have to Feel This Way
American Diabetes Association – Depression
National Institutes of Mental Health – Depression and Diabetes
National Mental Health Association – National Screening for Depression

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