FEELING BLUE ON WORLD DIABETES DAY?

Saturday November 14^th is World Diabetes Day when buildings around the world are illuminated in blue light. This may have extra relevance says the UK arm of a leading international charity headquartered on Hayling Island, Hampshire, following latest research which warns of the dangers of depression.*

Chief Executive Sarah Bone explained:

“For people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, depression can lead to poor self-management which can result in long term physical complications and have a serious impact on a person's well-being, and their ability and motivation to self-manage their condition. We know that helping people to have a better understanding of their condition and helping them to improve their self-management has the potential to increase their quality of life and life expectancy.”

It can be especially hard for the parents of a young child with type 1 as they have to make sure their blood glucose levels are monitored and help them to inject insulin or use an insulin pump.

The charity provides a diabetes wellness educational event every year for people living with diabetes in the Wessex region where it is estimated there are 160,000 people living with the condition. Working with the specialist diabetes teams from the region, it offers advice and guidance to help people to manage their diabetes as well as possible. However, the charity is aware just how complicated living with diabetes can be and the psychological impact of the condition on self-management.

Nearly 1 in 5 people with diabetes has clinical depression**, for those with anxiety and/or depression healthcare costs increase by around 50%.***

University Hospital Southampton Consultant Physician in Diabetes Dr Mayank Patel commented “We know from our clinics that patients who have a good understanding of their diabetes and learn the skills to manage their condition effectively have better outcomes and a lower risk of complications in the longer term.”

For many parents of children with type 1 the psychological impact can lead to a fear of hypoglycaemia or hypo (low blood sugar) which affects both parental health and quality of life and impacts on the well-being and adjustment of children and young people.

DRWF is funding a research project by Professor Deborah Christie Professor of Paediatric and Adolescent Psychology at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) she is researching how to reduce the fear of hypoglycaemia in families and improving metabolic control in children and young people with diabetes (RICHes): A feasibility pilot study.

Professor Christie described the behaviour caused by this fear of hypos:

“We know of a mother who has used a baby alarm for her daughter since she was born (she is now 17) so she can hear the Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) sensor go off and go into the room and correct the hypoglycaemia. Although she has been told repeatedly by the health care team this is not needed she knows that the only time that she didn’t use it (it broke) the girl had a seizure.”

Children and their families often believe a hypo is potentially dangerous and see it as a source of social embarrassment – especially for teenagers. This fear results in worries that impact on emotional well-being and behaviours that affect family life and normal activities.

The result of the worry is that children and parents avoid hypos by allowing higher blood sugar levels than is recommended by health care teams as the fear of a hypo outweighs the discomfort, conflict and long term complications that are created by having consistently high blood sugar levels.

Some parents have never had a night out together or gone away on their own since their child was diagnosed because they cannot trust anyone else to manage overnight care. Often Parents have not had a whole night’s sleep since diagnosis because they are constantly checking blood monitors overnight.

DRWF and Professor Christie hope the research will lead to better management models for parents and better mental and physical health for parents and children.

Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation (DRWF) is highlighting some of the hidden psychological effects of living with this long term condition around this year's World Diabetes Day. ****According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) depression is approximately two to three times more common in patients with a chronic physical health problem such as diabetes, than in people who have good physical health. It occurs in about 20% of people with a chronic physical health problems and is the most common psychiatric disorder witnessed in the diabetes community. Within the UK, it is estimated that there are 1.24 million people with depression in England, and this is projected to rise by 17% to 1.45 million by 2026. Overall, the total cost of services for depression in England in 2007 was estimated to be £1.7 billion while lost employment increased this total to £7.5 billion.

ENDS

* NIDDK International Conference Report on Diabetes and Depression: Current Understanding and Future Directions. Authors: Richard I.G. Holt, Mary de Groot, Irwin Lucki, Christine M. Hunter, Norman Sartorius and Sherita H. Golden. © 2014 by the American Diabetes Association.

** S. Ali, M.A. Stone, J.L. Peters, M.J. Davies, K. Khunti, The prevalence of co -morbid depression in adults with Type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta -analysis, Diabet. Med. 23 (11) (2006) 1165 – 117

*** Melek S, Norris D (2008). Chronic Conditions and Comorbid Psychological Disorders. Seattle: Milliman

****Depression in adults with a chronic physical health problem: Treatment and management NICE guidelines [CG91] Published date: October 2009 Evidence Update 12 – Depression in adults with a chronic physical health problems (March 2012)

Press Contact: Claire Levy 02392 636138 Mobile: 07813948373

Professor Christie is available for interview.