I think type 1 and 2 need more separation!
That's exactly the point! I know it is not a widely shared position, but my personal view is that a new and wholly different name for T1 is needed. Or rather, for every form of what today is grouped under the word 'diabetes'.
To begin with, I gather that 'diabetes' is actually the name of a symptom (chronic hyperglicaemia), rather than of a specific disease/condition, at least if one has to trust the WHO definition of it. (Though I should say 'them' instead of 'it', shouldn't I?)
Then, keeping such out-dated names as 'type 1' and 'type 2' will just further encourage the (wrong) idea that 'diabetes' is basically a single disease, only coming in several different hues and shapes. Like a rose that will be a rose be a rose be a rose, no matter its colour, shape or variety. We can't expect people to understand much, I think, if we stick to such inadequate terminology. Typically, people wont' care a bit about hues, varieties or anything perceived as a minor distinction: that's unnecessary and boring detail, to most.
I am so hot about this issue also because I live in Italy, and in our language first comes the name, then the qualifier, so we have to say 'diabete di tipo 1'. But, given the average attention-span, people will just catch 'diabetes', while the rest will be dismissed as some kind of meaningless detail. English-speaking people are luckier, as T1 or T2 form the first part of the message and could as well stand alone.
So, I have made a decision: I want to call my condition with name of its own, with no 'diabetes' in it (exactly like 'influenza', which is not called 'type 7 fever' on the ground that fever is one of its main symptoms). So, when talking to strangers I often use the word ABCA (autoimmune beta-cell apoptosis). Not wholly satisfactory, as it is an acronym and not very self-explaining. But it can go, as my first aim is to make it immediately clear to strangers that it's something they have never heard of and know nothing about. It surely helps avoid foolish comments and irritating advice.
If only it could become a general habit… ABCA, or some other name, I'm not particular.
Really, I do think that all the terminology of T1 should be radically renewed. The way it is, it's not only inconvenient, but also irrational and dangerous.