MHM Magazine

Issue 2 | 2022 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 45 MHM unfortunately, they don’t have the adequate time or resources to pro- vide the appropriate and necessary mental health support. It’s such a shame that despite how diabetes is becoming increasingly prevalent, mental health support, with a spe- cific focus on diabetes and other chronic conditions, is not. In doing my Honours research, I have found studies that have shown that increasing self-com- passion in persons with diabetes results in better self-management, increased engagement in health promoting behaviours, and even, in some studies, resulted in a lowered HbA1c. If there’s such a strong link between mental health and diabetes management, you would think that a more holistic treatment process would be ad- opted. However, I feel this lack of mental health support for chronic illness stems from individuals not realising the strain their chronic condition is having on their mental health. Much like me, I think many people living with a chronic ill- ness reach a point where they are drowned in years of mental health strain. For me, it happened the day in the supermarket with the strang- er. Although a seemingly insignif- icant interaction, it had a domino effect in my mind and the collec- tion of having to constantly brush off hurtful and untrue diabetes-re- lated comments, educate people around this chronic condition, and deal with having to explain what diabetes is and what to do in case of an emergency to every new, important person that joins my life, resulted in a feeling of complete defeat and burnout. Unlike many, people living with chronic illnesses can never take a holiday from it to rest and recover. The need to look after yourself and your illness is an everyday task and, if not completed, would result in severe illness or, most likely in the case of diabetes, death. Chronic illness impacts the individual and the family at large, many parents feel as though they have failed in some way when their children are diagnosed. They are not given the time to process these feelings as they need to adopt the role of caregiver and help their children manage this new illness. I have only recently, in my few adult years that I’ve had, noticed this strain, and I feel some sort of responsibility to fix this systemic issue. With help from SADAG, I’ve been able to start a support group for young adults living with dia- betes. Although it’s still relatively new, the feedback I’ve received from the group has been over- whelming. One lady even remarked that she didn’t realise the strain diabetes was having on her mental health until she began to speak about it. I think this statement beautifully encapsulates the es- sence of the effect chronic illness has on mental health: you don’t even realise it’s affecting you until it’s too overwhelming to ignore.