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Systemic Solutions & Diabetes

Relationship Coaching ... Systemic Coach Training

Living with Diabetes

Diabetes brings many challenges. If you or a family member have been diagnosed with diabetes, it will strongly affect your life. This page describes diabetes types 1 and 2; common emotional complications and possible treatments.

  1. Diabetes Mellitus
  2. Type 1 Diabetes
  3. Type 2 Diabetes
  4. Complications of Diabetes
  5. Psychological Complications of Diabetes
  6. Relationship Coaching

1. What is Diabetes?

If your body produces little or no insulin (insulin helps cells absorb sugar for energy), sugar builds up in your blood and urine, causing excessive urination, thirst, hunger, and digestion problems, which interferes with cellular function. These symptoms are called diabetes.

Diabetes is most common if you are over 45 years old; if you are overweight and/or physically inactive; if you have family members with diabetes; and if you are of African, Hispanic or Native American descent. Diabetes cases are classified as Type 1 and Type 2.

2. Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease - the body's immune system attacks and destroys cells that produce insulin. Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes usually appear suddenly in people under 20 years old. Type 1 diabetes is called juvenile-onset diabetes.

3. Type 2 Diabetes

In Type 2 diabetes your body does not balance insulin production and your body cells cannot use insulin efficiently. Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes include those found in Type 1 , as well as repeated infections or skin sores, generalized tiredness and numbness in the hands or feet.

About 9 out of 10 diabetics have Type 2 diabetes. This usually starts after the age of 45, although the incidence of the disease in younger people is growing. The symptoms develop slowly, and may not be recognized. Type 2 diabetes is called adult-onset diabetes.

4. Complications of Diabetes

UIgnored diabetes may cause life-threatening complications, including coma or death. Other complications include blindness, kidney failure, high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.

Diabetes may also cause loss of feeling, particularly in the lower legs, which may prevent a person from feeling skin damage or infection until complications develop, possibly necessitating amputation. Burning, sensitivity and coldness of the foot can also occur. Other complications include higher-risk pregnancies in diabetic women.

There is a strong relationship between Type 2 diabetes and obesity. About 80 percent of people with Type 2 diabetes are significantly overweight.

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5. Psychological Complications of Diabetes

The successful treatment of diabetes resolves psychological difficulties as well as poor sugar control - which can cause further psychological problems. Common psychological factors are:

5a. Following the treatment

  • Diet and exercise
  • Insulin management
  • Injections
  • Insulin shock

5b. Relationships with families, friends and professionals

People with diabetes may respond emotionally to their hormone levels, and sometimes experience mood swings. A person with diabetes may express long-withheld emotions - sometimes chaotically. A diabetic patient may be unaware of even severe mood swings; and act as if a current emotion is a valid basis for long-term decisions. Emotional outbursts may follow minor events.

For example, a person with diabetes may angrily criticize other family members, or suddenly announce a major decision to business associates. Yet a diabetic may quickly forget the conversation. Criticized family members, and business associates affected by these decisions may respond with their own emotions and lower their trust of the diabetic person. Emotional conflicts can spiral to create chaos.

5c. Managing Emotions, Beliefs and Stress

  • Guilt, anger, fear and sadness
  • Beliefs about cause, seriousness, treatment effectiveness
  • Depression
  • Stress and trauma

Guilt, anger, fear and sadness

Strong unpleasant emotions affect both mental stability and hormone levels. Conversely, hormonal therapy can precipitate displays of withheld emotions. The primary emotions are usually guilt anger, fear and sadness; which may support many secondary emotions.

  • Guilt is usually a conflict about having hurt other people
  • Anger is usually related to violated values
  • Fear is usually a reaction to possible future events
  • Sadness is usually regret about lost possibilities for happiness

If the whole family knows that diabetics may express wild emotions at unpredictable times - diabetics, their families and friends can better cope with emotional outbursts.

Beliefs about cause, seriousness and treatment effectiveness

People who blame themselves for their diabetic condition are often accurate, as type 2 diabetes is strongly related to lifestyle and obesity. However, some people diagnosed with diabetes may try to blame others, often family members, for "making them" live an unhealthy lifestyle.

Although diabetes has potential unpleasant complications, most diabetic symptoms can be successfully controlled by diet, exercise, sugar control and medication.

The effectiveness of treatment is primarily the responsibility of the patient. A person with diabetes can become knowledgeable about the disease. A boost to health is to join or start a support-group, to help other people learn about the disease, its treatment and its consequences.

Depression

Depression with obesity predict adult-onset diabetes. Depression may also increase insulin production. People with diabetes are more likely to suffer from depression than normal. Depression may reduce the desire to take medications and/or to follow the prescribed treatment for diabetes.

Depression is often a healthy response to an unhealthy environment or chaotic relationships. Often, the underlying issue is guilt. If a person feels guilty, life may not make sense, which leads to depression. Most depressive guilt results from:

  • Abuse, betrayal or abandonment (violating trust; for example - abandoning a child)

  • Relationship transferences (mistaking one person for another; for example - perceiving an ex-partner as an abandoned child)

People who identify with their body may be distressed by diabetes. Daily injections, mood swings and fears of complications may also become a source of depression

Stress and Trauma

Stress influences the effects of diabetes. Emotional stress leads to the secretion of many hormones that can counteract the actions of insulin and disrupt metabolic control.

Stress-induced emotions can produce hyperglycemia, and disrupt a person’s relationships, eating habits, exercise and daily routines. This affects diabetes management and insulin dosage. A patient’s emotional needs and problems are an important component of treatment and an integral component of diabetes management. Systemic Coaching can improve the relationship between diabetes and life.

[ Stress ] [ Trauma and PTSD ]

6. Relationship Coaching

As chronic high blood sugar may cause medical complications, a major goal of diabetes management is normal blood-sugar, to balance energy expenditure with insulin dosage. Sugar intake may invoke both historic and systemic relationship entanglements.

Relationship Coaching supports healthy behavioral changes, such as reducing dietary fat, increasing physical activity, and increasing knowledge and skills.

Relationship Coaching provides possibilities for improving relationships and emotional stability. It helps people live full lives by promoting emotional well being and life activities (e.g., educational and vocational goals, recreational activities).

NOTE: Consult a physician regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations about diabetes, or any other medical symptoms, medical diagnosis or medical conditions.

[ Relationship Coaching - A Doctor's Perspective ]

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Copyright © Martyn Carruthers 2003, 2005, all rights reserved


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