Psychosocial Implications of Diabetes Management Essay

Diabetes has become one of the most pressing health issues in the world. The condition directly affects approximately three hundred million people across the world. The magnanimity of the type 2 diabetes pandemic is expected to rise as more individuals across all demographics continue to suffer from the condition. When taking care of people with diabetes psychosocial factors play a significant part in ensuring that short-term effects do not compound into long-term emotional issues. Consequently, psychosocial is a key component of diabetes management to both the patients and caregivers. For instance, “having patients acquire valued personal beliefs and achievable standards of performance could strengthen self-regulation and self-efficacy leading to a more positive experience and healthy behaviors” (Young and Unachukwu 4).

Patients who are equipped with the necessary psychosocial knowledge are in a position to employ it to make the quality of their lives better. On the other hand, the care of type 2 diabetes is subject to various aspects of medical and psychosocial nature. Research on the psychosocial implications of diabetes management is limited and both patients and caregivers have to rely on experimentation in this regard. Nevertheless, medical professionals and other caregivers bear the biggest psychosocial burden in the care of patients with diabetes. Some of the manifestations of psychosocial issues in the care of patients with diabetes include susceptibility to depression and anxiety. Patients and caregivers are supposed to have relevant knowledge concerning the manifestations of psychosocial factors when it comes to the management of type 2 diabetes. This essay outlines the psychosocial implications that are manifested during the care of a patient with type 2 diabetes.

One of the psychosocial aspects of caring for patients with diabetes involves the shock that comes with lifestyle adjustments among newly diagnosed individuals. Diabetes creates tensions that come from the various demands on lifestyle changes. In addition, there is always a threat of patients suffering from life-threatening complications within a short time. All these factors are consequently related to a patient’s social welfare because these risks apply both to him/her and those in his/her social circles. These psychosocial factors are particularly heightened in “parts of the developing world with poor healthcare and social support, the economic consequences of living with diabetes can be enormous for the patient, leading to inadequate care and the subsequent development of complications” (Hampson 58). This psychological burden is further increased by the fact that lifestyle change is a mandatory requirement in the management of diabetes. Consequently, a person who has diabetes might be forced to make lifestyle changes that others do not have to make including weight reduction, dietary changes, and regular insulin administration. All these factors create a psychological burden on patients and on some occasions their caregivers. Lack of relevant information in regards to the management of type 2 diabetes only serves to make the understanding of the psychosocial issues of management worse.

Another psychosocial implication of caring for a patient with diabetes relates to the fact that the disease affects an individual’s quality of life in a major manner. Although it is difficult to measure how the quality of life is affected accurately, patients have to contend with a significant reduction of this factor. For instance, a diabetic patient suffers from both micro-vascular and macro-vascular complications in his/her quest to manage the condition. These complications are easily transformed into psychosocial effects among individuals who have to contend with issues that touch on their general well-being, relationships with others, lack of acceptance, feelings of inadequacy, and increased demand for information. Neuropathy is one side effect that has been found to relate to both diminished qualities of life and diabetes. In addition, there is a risk of individuals suffering from the emotional reaction, diminished energy levels, lack of physical mobility, and sleeplessness as a result of diabetes management. All these consequences are a trigger for psychosocial manifestations during the management of type 2 diabetes.

Caregivers require to be equipped with necessary education in regards to the management of type 2 diabetes. This one method can be effective in the alleviation of psychosocial issues that result from a reduction in the quality of life (Rubin and Peyrot 460). Therefore, caregivers need to harbor the necessary awareness when it comes to personal risks of psychosocial factors. Caregivers also need to have proximity awareness when it comes to their own lives and diabetes awareness.

The treatment of type 2 diabetes is a lifelong affair and patients are often aware of this fact. Consequently, the lifelong nature of diabetes treatment is likely to cause psychological pressure among patients. On the other hand, drugs dependency is associated with several psychosocial implications among patients and within their respective positions. In the end, “it is difficult for patients to adjust to the depressive lifestyle of drug dependency, especially among young patients” (Bradley and Lewis 445). There have been incidences where burnout because of drug dependency has resulted in individuals abandoning diabetes treatment.

The treatment regimen of type 2 diabetes includes oral medication, glycaemic control, and physical exercises among others. All these treatment methods are known to exert psychosocial pressure among patients. For instance, “reactions to the introduction of insulin include feelings of a feat of pain from injections, fear of dying from hypoglycemia, frustration, and a perceived lack of control over the progression of the disease” (Kimball 1008). All these factors have to be managed in light of psychosocial implications in the management of type 2 diabetes.

One regimen that can alleviate the pressure of psychosocial implications in the care of diabetes is the use of a holistic approach. A holistic approach to diabetes could have the potential to “explore the social situation, attitudes, beliefs, and worries related to diabetes and self-care issues” (Chew, Shariff-Ghazali, and Fernandez 796). This approach is the only method of treatment that offers diabetes’ caregivers access to the psychological wellbeing of patients. Through a holistic approach to diabetes management, both medical and non-medical methods are applied to the treatment of this condition. Furthermore, communication between patients and caregivers creates an atmosphere where psychosocial factors cannot develop.

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that requires significant effort in its management including lifestyle adjustments and active patient involvement. In recent times, it has become important for diabetes management stakeholders to take note of the psychosocial aspects that apply to the care of patients with type 2 diabetes. The mastery of the psychosocial implications of diabetes management is important to both patients and their caregivers. Psychosocial factors apply to the diagnosis, treatment, and management of diabetes. Nevertheless, some newer concepts of diabetes management such as the holistic approach to treatment have eased the impact of psychosocial factors.

Works Cited

Bradley, Charles., and Anderson Lewis. “Measures of Psychological Well‐being and Treatment Satisfaction Developed from the Responses of People with Tablet‐treated Diabetes.” Diabetic Medicine 7.5 (2010): 445-451. Print.

Chew, Boon-How, Sazlina Shariff-Ghazali, and Aaron Fernandez. “Psychological Aspects of Diabetes Care: Effecting Behavioral Change in Patients.” World Journal of Diabetes 5.6 (2014): 796. Print.

Hampson, Sarah. “Effects of Educational and Psychosocial Interventions for Adolescents with Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review.” Health Technology Assessment 5.10 (2001): 1-79. Print.

Kimball, Patterson. “Emotional and Psychosocial Aspects of Diabetes Mellitus.” The Medical Clinics of North America 55.4 (2011): 1007-1018. Print.

Rubin, Richard, and Mark Peyrot. “Psychological Issues and Treatments for People with Diabetes.” Journal of Clinical Psychology 57.4 (2001): 457-478. Print.

Young, Eliot, and Cathy Unachukwu. “Psychosocial Aspects of Diabetes Mellitus.” African Journal of Diabetes Medicine 20.1 (2012): 3-7. Print.