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Depression?

B

BrickyBrian

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I am a type 2 and take a few tablets to controle it. Currently I am around the 9.0 level.
My annual check is due. Why do they ask questions about depression?
 
Diabetes and depression have been shown to be quite commonly linked.

It was never my favourite question of theirs but I can see why they ask it.
 
Hi Brian and welcome to the forum :) I'm afraid I can't answer your question about depression but I'm sure someone here will be able to soon.

In the meantime I can help you to manage your diabetes better with this information written by our friends Sue and Ken, former monitors, for new members. I am not sure if you are newly diagnosed or have had diabetes for a while.

Here is the advice that Ken and I, as Forum Monitors, usually give to newly diagnosed Diabetics. We hope that these few ideas gained through experience help you to gain control and give you some understanding of Diabetes. This forum doesn't always follow the recommended dietary advice, you have to work out what works for you as we are all different.

It's not just 'sugars' you need to avoid, diabetes is an inability to process glucose properly. Carbohydrate converts, in the body, to glucose. So it makes sense to reduce the amount of carbohydrate that you eat which includes sugars.

For more information on CARBOHYDRATE see here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20306

This is NOT a low carb diet suggestion, just a reduction in your intake of carbohydrate. You have to decide yourself how much of a reduction will keep your blood glucose levels in control.

The main carbs to avoid OR reduce are the complex or starchy carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, starchy root veg and also any flour based products. The starchy carbs all convert 100% to glucose in the body and raise the blood sugar levels significantly.

If you are on Insulin you may find that reducing the carb intake also means that you can reduce your dose of insulin. This can help you to keep weight gain down as Insulin tends to make you put on weight and eventually cause insulin resistance. This should be done slowly so as not to cause hypos.

The way to find out how different foods affect you is to do regular daily testing and keep a food diary for a couple of weeks. If you test just before eating, then two hours after eating, you will see the effect of certain foods on your blood glucose levels. Some foods, which are slow acting carbohydrates, are absorbed more slowly so you may need to test three or even four hours later to see the effect that these have on your blood glucose levels.

Buy yourself a carb counter book (you can get these on-line) and you will be able to work out how much carbs you are eating, when you test, the reading two hours after should be roughly the same as the before eating reading, if it is then that meal was fine, if it isn’t then you need to check what you have eaten and think about reducing the portion size of carbs.

When you are buying products check the total carbohydrate content, this includes the sugar content. Do not just go by the amount of sugar on the packaging as this is misleading to a diabetic.


As for a tester, try asking the nurse/doctor and explain that you want to be proactive in managing your own diabetes and therefore need to test so that you can see just how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Hopefully this will work ! Sometimes they are not keen to give Type 2’s the strips on prescription, (in the UK) but you can but try!!

For TIPS FOR STRIPS see here:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=19002#p173253

If you are an Insulin user in theory you should have no problem getting test strips.

The latest 2011 NICE guidelines for Bg levels are as follows:
Fasting (waking and before meals).......between 4 - 7 mmol/l...(Type 1 & 2)
2 hrs after meals........................no more than 8.5 mmol/l.....( Type 2)

2hrs after meals......................... no more than 9 mmol/l ......(Type 1)

If you are able to keep the post meal numbers lower, so much the better.

It also helps if you can do at least 30 minutes moderate exercise a day, it can be split into 10 min sessions to start with. It doesn't have to be strenuous.

The above is just general advice and it is recommended that you discuss with your HCP before making any changes. You can also ask questions on the forum on anything that is not clear.

Finally a few QUESTIONS TO ASK AT DIABETES CLINIC.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=17091



Sue/Ken.
Click to expand...
 
Hi brian, welcome to all of us here, its possible they check for depression also, as keep eye on the diabetes due to linked connection that GP'S and HCP now recognise can and does happen to some persons. please ask any questions you feel or need to? Anna.x :)
 
Hi Brian,

I have had clinical depression on an off for years, before being diagnosed with T2. I wonder if the reason why they ask is to see if the diagnosis has increased this sort of problem - don't know and only speculating. After I was diagnosed in January didn't see my depression get any worse, but did feel floored by it. As far as I was concerned then it was just something that happened and I'd rather have found out than not.

Just my thoughts

Diane
 
Depression and diabetes are definitely linked, but there seems to be debate about why.

One GP told me that it is not surprising, as diabetes is quite a big thing to manage in most people's hectic lifestyles and it can simply get a bit too much, but a psychiatrist (and I do see them too, for bipolar, so mine goes a little further than just depression) told me that he is certain there is a physiological connection between bipolar and diabetes, as well as depression and diabetes, but it hasn't been found yet. That was a few years ago, so maybe they have found it now, if so, I haven't heard.

So I guess that is why they ask about depression. Mind, it's a slightly odd question to ask as most people suffering mild depression wouldn't have a clue that they are. I imagine it would be better to give people one of those questionnaires whose answers will indicate if you have symptoms of depression. But hey ho! Ours not to reason why - or so they keep telling me: doesn't stop me though. :wink:
 
BrickyBrian said:
Why do they ask questions about depression?
Click to expand...

Strangely enough this question comes up all the time at my annual check as where 5-10 years ago it was never mentioned. Yes diabetes and depression are closely linked and I suppose they have to tick all the boxes now to make sure we are in good health both physically and mentally.

Nigel
 
Many thanks for the information and advice. I really think that the term, "Depression" is used to loosely. A person may feel, a trifle down, fed up, sad etc. etc. but where it becomes "depression" must be a medical diagnosis. A questioner that asks if you are experiencing “depression” is asking a question that most individuals are just not equipped to answer.
 
BrickyBrian said:
Many thanks for the information and advice. I really think that the term, "Depression" is used to loosely. A person may feel, a trifle down, fed up, sad etc. etc. but where it becomes "depression" must be a medical diagnosis. A questioner that asks if you are experiencing “depression” is asking a question that most individuals are just not equipped to answer.
Click to expand...


That's a good point Brian!

I remember when I lost my Father and I was grieving badly for 12 months after, went to the doctors for a diabetes check-up and he suggested I went on anti-depressants to help me deal with the grief, I politely refused and said I just needed time to come to terms with what had happened, he was adamant that I took them but I stood firm.

I eventually came to terms with my loss and began to remember the good times instead of the bad which haunted me night and day, I suppose grief and depression are similar to what they do to your state of mind and can now understand why my gp wanted me to take anti-depressants to see me through this period in my life, but when I am asked if I have ever been depressed I always answer No.......the reason being I was grieving and not depressed.

Nigel
 
Nigel, this is my own thoughts, but I think they are medically accurate, just don't take my word for it:

There are two kinds of depression. Circumstantial and unexplained. I think the first term is the correct one, the 'unexplained' is my own description because I don't know what the doctors call it.

Circumstantial depression is just as you describe. It's still depression with the same chemical changes happening in your brain that cause you to be depressed, but there is a very obvious reason for your feelings, such as your bereavement.

What I have dubbed unexplained depression is when the symptoms happen with no obvious cause. The term 'clinical depression' is often used although I have never heard a medical professional use it, but I think when people say that, this unexplained depression is what they are talking about. It can also describe severe depression - which is the clinical term. Mild, moderate and severe. For once the medical profession used simple terms. I digress, sorry, my fingers are thinking aloud...

My depressions almost always had no obvious cause. I would be charging around doing so much I could never finish anything, not sleeping much etc etc. Then crash! I'd go trotting off to the doctor saying there must be something physical wrong with me because everything was going so fantastically well, I couldn't possibly be depressed. But of course I was, and there was no reason for it at all, except that that is what bipolar does to you. People who never go manic also get recurring, unexplained depressions. They are not exclusive to bipolar disorder. But they do suck.

Both kinds, circumstantial and not, need the same care and treatment. The right treatment depends on the severity of the depression and the personal needs of each individual. But by and large, the more severe the depression, the more likely you are to need to take medication for it. It's easy to be put off meds for depression because you can go through half a dozen different ones before finding something that both works and does not muck you about with too many side effects. But if you are really bad, it is worth it. First you get the chemical balance in your brain right with the meds, a bit like a splint on a broken bone, then you have the chance to heal and start thinking straight again, and time together with, often, talking therapies (counselling etc) will do the trick.

Crumbs! I didn't mean to start a lecture all about depression in a thread that simply asked why the doctors ask about it. But my fingers got carried away again and as you can see, it's a subject close to my heart.
 
This is a good article which explains the different types of depression.

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depress ... atment.htm

A diagnosis of diabetes is almost on a par with bereavement, you have lost your old way of life and now you have to deal with a different scenario for the rest of your life. It is really testing your reaction to the diagnosis when you are asked about depression. This question is asked frequently when you go for check ups as there may be periods in your life when the diabetes gets the upper hand and you are feeling depressed. I would call it reactive depression because you are reacting to a situation, i.e. having diabetes.
 
CC
That was an extremely informative and useful link.
Thanks for posting it :)
 
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