Is Diabetes Related to Depression? Researchers Think So.

Among the earliest signs of diabets is a continuous sensation of feeling fatigued and listless. You may find that you easily become fatigued while doing tasks that used to take no effort whatsoever. In the early stages of a disease, in most cases, the body will give subtle hints like this signaling that something may be not quite right with it.

But even if you see your doctor because you suspect something is wrong, it can still be a shock to be told by your doctor that you have diabetes. You may go through a stage of denial and a stage of anger, but eventually you will come to acceptance of the fact that you do have diabetes.

Diabetes has many physical symptoms but it has a possible emotional one as well. Most people upon learning that they have a serious illness will go through one or more initial bouts of depression. But with diabetes, there seems to be some additional psychological and physical connection to depression. And, over the years researchers have documented a strong linkage between diabetes and depression.

There have been many peer group studies that show a person diagnosed with diabetes increases his or her risk of depression by 100 percent. Even taking into account that the psychological stress of learning that someone has diabetes will account for a small amount of the depression, a 100 percent increase is a huge number.

To date, there have been no studies that identify exactly why there should be a link between diabetes and depression, but there are a couple of theories that may provide us with a clue.

One such theory is that those suffering from depression are simply more likely to develop diabetes. According to this theory, there is some common metabolic disposition in the bodies of those with depression that puts them at risk for diabetes and vice versa. But there may also be a direct dietary cause. A depressed person, especially one not taking medication for his depression, is not caring for himself normally. He has more of a tendency to eat poorly, especially eating carbohydrate laden junk foods that have been demonstrated to increase blood sugar levels. A depressed person will also typically exercise less. In combination, these two factors can lead to obesity which, in turn, can lead to him developing type-2 diabetes.

A second theory is that diabetes itself is the spark. Studies have proven that diabetes causes the body's sugar levels to vary wildly. Researchers of depression also know that depression is directly related to the body having poor and erratic blood sugar control. Knowing this connection, it would come as no surprise that a high number of diabetes sufferers could also experience depression.

The important thing to remember, however, is that there are effective treatments available for both diabetes and depression. Many doctors notice that when treating depressed patients with psychotherapy and/or medication, that their blood glucose levels are improved also. Although, yet to be proven, it's probably true that successfully treating diabetic patients will simultaneously help with their depression.

Hopefully, understanding that depression is a possible side effect of diabetes will help diabetics to better understand why they're feeling the way they do and encourage them to seek help for their possible depression symptoms as well.

Diabetes and Depression - The Surprising Connection

Among the earliest signs of diabets is a continuous sensation of feeling fatigued and listless. You may find that you easily become fatigued while doing tasks that used to take no effort whatsoever. In the early stages of a disease, in most cases, the body will give subtle hints like this signaling that something may be not quite right with it.

But even if you see your doctor because you suspect something is wrong, it can still be a shock to be told by your doctor that you have diabetes. You may go through a stage of denial and a stage of anger, but eventually you will come to acceptance of the fact that you do have diabetes.

In addition to its many physical symptoms, diabetes has some possible emotional one as well. Many people upon finding out that they have a grave illness will go through one or more preliminary bouts of depression. But with diabetes, there seems to be some additional psychological and physical link to depression. And, over the years researchers have documented a strong link between diabetes and depression.

A person diagnosed with diabetes increases the chance that he or she will develop depression by a hundred percent. There have been many peer group studies that show that.  Even taking into account that the psychological stress of learning that someone has diabetes will account for a small amount of the depression, a two fold increase is a huge number.

To date, there have been no studies that identify exactly why there should be a link between diabetes and depression, but there are a couple of theories that may provide us with a clue.

One theory is simply that people with depression are more likely to develop diabetes. In other words, there is some common metabolic tendency in the bodies of people with depression that puts them at risk for diabetes and vice versa. But there may be a direct dietary causal reason as well. A depressed person, especially one not taking medication for his depression, is not taking care of himself normally. He has a tendency to eat more poorly, especially carbohydrate laden junk foods that have been shown to increase blood sugar levels. A depressed person will also typically exercise less. In combination, these two factors can lead to obesity which can lead to him being diagnosed as a type-2 diabetic.

Another theory is that diabetes itself is the trigger. Studies have shown that diabetes causes the body's glucose levels to wildly vary. Depression researchers also know that depression is directly related to poor and erratic blood sugar control. With this connection, it would be no surprise that a high number of diabetes sufferers could also experience depression.

The crucial matter to keep in mind, however, is that many effective treatments exist for both diabetes and depression. Many doctors observe that when treating depressed patients with psychotherapy and/or medication, that their blood sugar levels are also improved. And, even though, its yet to be proven, it's probably true that successfully treating diabetic patients will simultaneously help with their depression.

Hopefully, understanding that depression is a possible side effect of diabetes will help diabetics to better understand why they're feeling the way they do and encourage them to seek help for their possible depression symptoms as well.

Some Key Details Of Two Common Types Of Diabetes Mellitus

The starting point when looking at diabetes is to understand that it is a chronic disease which is distinguished by a distortion to the metabolism and increased levels of blood sugar that give rise to lower levels of insulin. The symptoms of diabetes can look very much like those of a host of other conditions and the condition can go undetected for many years. Screening for this particular condition is very important as early diagnosis and treatment greatly improve the quality of life for individuals who are suffering from this condition.

There are 2 main forms of diabetes that individuals who are unfamiliar with the disease frequently find it hard to separate and these are type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes results from the destruction of cells within the pancreas which itself is the result of an auto-immune attack. It is not preventable and accounts for about 10% of all cases of diabetes in Europe and North America. This form of diabetes is seen in children and adults and is sometimes referred to as juvenile diabetes. 

This form of diabetes can be treated successfully by carefully monitoring levels of blood glucose and adjusting the level of insulin in the body. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can require insulin and diabetic coma or even death can result if there is a rapid drop in insulin.

In addition to administering insulin, the best form of management for type 1 diabetes is a program of exercise and diet. People with this disease need to know their glucose level and make sure that insulin is topped up as necessary by injection.

Type 2 diabetes is different from the type 1 form of this disease because it occurs because of insulin resistance or insulin sensitivity  together with the body's reduced insulin production. This type of diabetes is common in people who are obese, are advanced in age, have a family history of this condition and who take insufficient exercise.

Individuals suffering from type 1 diabetes must use medication because their bodies cannot create insulin. But, type 2 diabetics have a number of different choices when it comes to keeping their condition under control. Exercise and diet may be enough to keep type 2 diabetes under control but oral medication and insulin could also be part of a treatment plan. 

There are several treatment choices available but the most critical element of the treatment equation is the patient. This may well be chronic but that does not mean that it has to be a lost cause and there are plenty of ways in which you can keep the body in good health when you have diabetes. In fact, the diabetic is the most important factor when it comes to fighting the side effects of this all too common disease.

If you have questions about diabetes then there is no better place to visit than http://diabetes-treatment-and-cure.com where you will find a wealth of diabetes questions answered