World Diabetes Day: Raising Awareness And Offering Support

Diabetes significantly impacts hundreds of millions of people around the world. While the physical health problems associated with diabetes may be more widely known, this condition can also significantly affect one’s mental health. World Diabetes Day recognizes the global effects of diabetes type one and two and raises awareness to improve its prevention, diagnosis, and management.

Living with diabetes can involve unique mental health challenges

Talk to a compassionate therapist

What is World Diabetes Day?

The history of World Diabetes Day

World Diabetes Day was established in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization to raise awareness of the global threat of this condition. In 2006, the UN adopted the event in response to “the urgent need to pursue multilateral efforts to promote and improve human health and provide access to treatment and healthcare education.”

The global impact of diabetes

Diabetes has significant global impacts. Below, explore some statistics highlighting this importance and prevalence: 

• Diabetes prevalence is increasing around the world. The number of people living with diabetes in 2022 was 830 million, up significantly from 200 million in 1990. 
• In 2022, more than half of people with diabetes did not take medication for their condition.
• In 2021, diabetes and diabetes-related illnesses caused more than two million deaths.
• It is estimated that 240 million individuals worldwide do not know that they have diabetes.
• The global economic impact of diabetes is predicted to reach $2.1 trillion by 2030. By 2045, diabetes-related health expenditures in the United States alone are expected to be $392,537.4 million.

How to celebrate World Diabetes Day

There are many ways to celebrate World Diabetes Day, including those detailed below.

Raise awareness of World Diabetes Day and Diabetes prevention 

One way to raise awareness on World Diabetes Day is to wear blue or clothes with the symbol for World Diabetes Day: A blue circle. Blue represents the color of the United Nations and the sky, and the circle represents the need to stay united in this fight. Other ways to raise awareness include using relevant social media hashtags, participating in local diabetes walks and other events, and sharing educational material online.

Make a donation 

To celebrate World Diabetes Day, consider donating to a diabetes-related charity, like the American Diabetes Association, Breakthrough T1D (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), or the National Kidney Foundation.

Volunteer

Volunteering your time is another way to celebrate this day of awareness. Seek out a local chapter of a diabetes charity, help out at a community event, support a fundraising event, or get involved in fundraising.

Advocate for change and mental health for people with diabetes

You can take various steps to advocate for change. Sharing personal stories can make an impact and help people understand how diabetes affects those they know and love. You can also send letters to local, state, and federal lawmakers calling for more policies supporting the health care of those with diabetes.

Supporting people with diabetes

If you have a loved one with diabetes, your support can help them manage their condition and help avoid some of the worst complications. Below are several tips for offering support to someone with diabetes: 

• Learn more about diabetes care, including when to check blood sugars and how to get medical help.
• Ask your loved one if you can accompany them to appointments so you can learn more about how you can help.
• Understand that blood sugar shifts can affect a person’s mood and accept that they may have ups and downs.
• Encourage them to live a healthy lifestyle by offering to walk together or cook diabetes-friendly meals.
• Know the signs of low blood sugar to know when they might benefit from help. These symptoms can include shakiness, anxiety, impatience, chills, sweats, blurred vision, nausea, hunger, and fatigue.

Types of diabetes, overall health, and prevention strategies

There are multiple types of diabetes, and many differences between them. However, insulin and blood sugar levels are involved in every kind of diabetes. Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas that controls the amount of glucose or sugar in the blood. Glucose is brought into the body through food. 

When glucose enters the bloodstream, it signals the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin acts as a key, helping glucose enter the cells to be used as energy. When the glucose enters the cells, blood sugar levels drop, and the pancreas stops producing insulin. Depending on the type of diabetes someone lives with, the process of insulin and glucose interactions can be interrupted. Below are the types to consider. 

Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that attacks specific cells in the pancreas, preventing them from making insulin. When the body does not produce insulin, glucose builds up in the blood and cannot be used for energy. This process can lead to serious health complications and even death. People with type 1 diabetes need to inject synthetic insulin every day to stay healthy. This type of diabetes is typically present early in one’s life, but some people may not notice symptoms until they’re adults. 

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type. In this condition, the pancreas produces insulin, but it either doesn’t produce enough or the body doesn’t use it effectively. Not enough glucose reaches the cells, and blood sugar rises. Anyone can develop type 2 diabetes, but some people may be more genetically predisposed to the condition. Pre-diabetes can also occur, which is when blood sugar levels start rising but aren’t high enough yet to qualify as type 2 diabetes. Treating pre-diabetes may prevent one’s risk of developing diabetes. 

Other types of diabetes

Other types of diabetes include the following: 

• Gestational diabetes: This type of diabetes can occur in people who are pregnant but usually resolves after the pregnancy.
• Type 3c diabetes: Type 3c occurs when the pancreas is damaged from infection, cancer, or any other mechanism other than autoimmune.
• Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY): This type of diabetes occurs due to a genetic mutation that affects how the body makes and uses insulin. MODY accounts for about 5% of diabetes cases.

Prevention tips

The most common type of diabetes, type 2, is preventable. Consider the following tips to prevent diabetes.

Lose weight to prevent diabetes 

Obesity is one of the major risk factors for diabetes. While reaching a “normal” body weight may seem overwhelming, even losing five to ten percent of your body weight may lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. However, talk to your doctor, as not every person with a higher body weight is at risk of health complications, and many larger people are healthy. 

Get at least 30 minutes of exercise five days a week

Start small with exercise by breaking your routine up into three ten-minute daily walks and building up to your goal. Even a walk down the street is a form of aerobic exercise. You can also try more fun forms of exercise like dancing, yoga, stretching, swimming, hiking, climbing, or playing with your pets or kids. 

Eat nourishing food most of the time

Talk to your doctor about the best foods for your unique body and mind. What’s nourishing for one person may not be healthy for another, so work with a nutritionist and learn about your body’s unique reactions to certain foods. Many people find vegetables and fruits healthy, but ensure you also get some source of protein and fiber in your healthy diet. 

Health challenges and complications for people with diabetes

Diabetes can lead to multiple health challenges and life-long complications, including the following:

• Vision problems as a result of damage to the blood vessels in the eyes
• Diabetic foot problems due to reduced blood flow and damage to the nerves in the feet; in the U.S., about 160,000 people have a lower limb amputation due to complications from diabetes every year
• High blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease as a result of the damage to the blood vessels
• Kidney disease or kidney failure due to blood vessel damage in the kidneys
• Skin infections due to reduced circulation
• Death due to complications of hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia

Mental health effects of diabetes

Diabetes can also affect one’s mental health. One global survey conducted by the International Diabetes Federation found that 77% of people with diabetes have experienced anxiety, depression, or another mental health condition as a result of their condition. Some of the concerns leading to these mental health challenges include fear of complications, daily management, and the stigma surrounding the disease.

If you are experiencing mental health challenges as a result of living with diabetes, consider talking to a mental health professional. Untreated mental health issues can make diabetes worse, but according to the Centers for Disease Control, if one gets better, the other tends to as well. 

Living with diabetes can involve unique mental health challenges

Talk to a compassionate therapist

The benefits of mental healthcare for people with diabetes and other conditions 

A therapist can help you learn coping skills to manage symptoms of depression or anxiety that may arise from living with diabetes. If you’re interested in working with a therapist but health complications make it difficult to travel, or if you don’t feel you have time to attend traditional sessions, consider online treatment. 

With an online therapy platform like BetterHelp, you can work with a qualified mental health professional from anywhere you have a reliable internet connection with a smartphone, computer, or other device. Many people who sign up can be matched with a provider in as little as 48 hours so that you can get started with treatment soon. Plus, online therapy has been found to simultaneously improve mental health symptoms and glycemic control in people with diabetes, with one preliminary study finding that “integrating digital mental health interventions into diabetes care can positively impact both psychological well-being and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.”