South West Healthcare nurses shine light on mental health for National Diabetes Week

Nearly half of all people with diabetes say they have experienced mental health problems in the last 12 months.

People living with diabetes make an extra 180 decisions every day.

These are just some of the challenges around 1970 people in Warrnambool living with diabetes face daily.

This week is National Diabetes Week, and this year's theme is 'Heads Up on Diabetes', focusing on the impacts of diabetes on mental health.

In Warrnambool, 5.3 per cent of people are registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme.

South West Healthcare diabetes nurse educator Maree Boyle said it was a chronic condition that a lot of people had heard about, but not many knew much about.

"People living with diabetes are often worried about developing complications, they're worried about the future impact of having diabetes and there's the constant burden of diabetes management," she said.

"There's also an added cost, many people worry about being able to afford the medication.

"Many patients I see say they worry about other people's attitudes and the stereotypes about diabetes, which further impacts on their mental health."

Ms Boyle said diabetes could affect anyone at any age.

"There are a lot of myths around diabetes, there's still a perception that people caused it themselves and that it's caused by their lifestyle but that's not true," she said. "There's lots of factors of why a person is at risk and a lot of those are out of their control."

People with diabetes have high blood glucose levels caused by a problem with the hormone insulin. The two main types of diabetes are type one (insulin dependent) and type two (non-insulin dependent).

There is no cure, but symptoms can be controlled with diet, exercise and medication.

If untreated, high blood glucose levels can result in serious complications.

South West Healthcare senior mental health nurse Julie Galloway said being diagnosed with a life-changing condition like diabetes could have a big impact on a person's life, especially for young people.

"For young people social connection is such a big part of their lives, it's a big part of how they form their identities and a sense of who they are," she said.

"A diagnosis like diabetes is a big deal, it changes things like going out for drinks because if your blood sugar gets too high or too low you can be in very real danger."

Ms Boyle said with the COVID-19 pandemic it was has hard to know exactly how many people were living with diabetes in the community because less people were visiting their GPs.

44.9 per cent of people living with diabetes said COVID-19 has had a negative effect on their mental and emotional health.

33.9 per cent said the virus made them more anxious about their diabetes.

Ms Galloway said the most important message of National Diabetes Week was that mental health support was available and people with diabetes and their families did not have to face the illness alone.

"Depression is just like any other illness, it can be treated," she said.

"Talk to your doctor about how you're feeling, talk to your family, friends and community groups, support is vital.

"You're not on your own."

Listen to the latest episode of our weekly podcast The Booletin and Beyond:

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.