Improving Life and Health for People with Type 1 Diabetes Through Managing Distress

July 3, 2024 TruthUSA

Addressing the emotional burden of living with Type 1 diabetes helps patients improve their mental health and control their glucose levels.

Recent research indicates that managing the mental strain of living with Type 1 diabetes is the most effective way to reduce distress and enhance crucial glucose control. According to a study published in the journal Diabetes Care in May, this new approach can assist individuals with Type 1 diabetes in coping with their condition and enhancing their emotional well-being.

Receiving a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, previously known as “juvenile diabetes,” can be devastating. Unlike Type 2 diabetes, there is no cure for Type 1. It is an autoimmune disease that often begins in childhood or early adulthood when the pancreas fails to function correctly. Individuals with Type 1 diabetes require lifelong insulin dependence, unlike those with Type 2 diabetes, which can be managed through weight loss and dietary changes.

Adjusting to the demands of managing Type 1 diabetes can be challenging, especially when diagnosed in childhood. People with diabetes are 2 to 3 times more likely to experience depression, yet only a fraction of those with diabetes-related depression receive proper diagnosis and treatment.

Individuals with Type 1 diabetes also face an increased risk of anxiety and disordered eating. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), personalized treatment plans can address these challenges beyond just physical symptoms.

A term coined as “diabetes distress” (DD) describes the fears, worries, and burdens associated with living with and managing diabetes. Up to 75% of adults with Type 1 diabetes experience diabetes distress, according to a press release from the University of California San Francisco.

A Tale of Three Approaches

The EMBARK study focused on three approaches to easing Type 1 diabetes distress:

Streamline—an educator-led program providing traditional behavioral education
TunedIn—a psychologist-led program focusing on emotional aspects of Type 1 diabetes
FixIt—a combination of Streamline and TunedIn programs

Participants in all three programs showed a reduction in diabetes distress after 12 months, with greater reductions reported in the TunedIn and FixIt groups compared to Streamline. Although Streamline and TunedIn participants had greater reductions in HbA1c levels, emotional focus led to more consistent benefits overall.

Virtual, emotion-focused group strategies are particularly effective for managing Type 1 diabetes distress in adults.

According to first author Danielle Hessler Jones, many patients with diabetes are unaware of diabetes distress and its alleviation possibilities, highlighting the importance of effective virtual group programs in changing that perception.

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