Mental Health Rant

I'm still new to being a Type 1 Diabetic, I got diagnosed in May this year. I've always struggled with my mental health since I was diagnosed with OCD and anxiety when I was 7. Leading up to my T1 diagnosis my mental health got worse and now I find I seem to have more bad anxious depression periods than I do good. Is this what other diabetics find too? I go through periods where I feel fine and really open about talking about being T1 but then I quickly turn to being really anxious about it and really angry and upset. Is this something that most diabetics go through? I've started running again to try and help with the mental health side of things. I have a young Family so I'm trying to stay as strong and positive as I can be but sometimes it's hard and it really hits me that I am Diabetic. I'm trying to find different stress coping mechanisms as I've noticed when my anger and stress flares up so do my levels. I'm still in the honeymoon stage too so not sure if things will get worse once that's over or not? I just find myself getting angry with people when they complain to me about issues that aren't really a big deal but when I try express my feelings with this it just seems to get brushed aside! I feel I've maybe talked about it too much and maybe I'm annoying people? But it's such a huge thing to get your head! The positive thing with this is I do actually feel more healthy than I have done in a long time as I am working out more and eating better now. On paper I am doing well with my T1 but mentally still is a bit of a struggle and I have started going back counselling too which I think helps a lot.

KesLouise said:

Totally understand where you are coming from, was diagnosed in July this year after a misdiagnosis. It is really tough mentally and emotionally especially if you’ve struggled with you’re mental health before.

This is a good place to find support and ask those questions that you might think sound silly but really they aren’t. Always happy to chat

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Yeah mine was brushed aside at first and was told I was losing weight because "this is what you do, this is just you" and was told to go on antidepressants again which delayed things further! I think that has freaked me out a lot too as I thought I was having a breakdown!

NicoleC1971 said:

I think it is totally normal for a type 1 to feel like you do at times but especially when recently diagnosed and therefore having to focus hard on the day to day aspects of diabetes management. There is a lot to get anxious about and a lot of it is within your control but I think its been said that there are no conditions that demand more of the patient so sometimes guilt then anger come into on top of anxiety about hypos, hypers and complications!
We are all here for each other and it is a great place for a rant, advice or chat. Gorgeous wedding photo btw!

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Thanks, I've only been married since last October so it's still quite fresh ha ha. Weird to think I was possibly diabetic at the wedding but didn't know! And yeah I like I can talk to people on here as I don't want to hassle people and be annoying when people don't understand fully!

Diakat said:

It’s great that you are getting counselling and support. The mental impact of diagnosis is often ignored.
With regards the the feeling brushed aside issue, I think that only someone living with diabetes actually gets the relentless aspect of it and all the things that we try to juggle.

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Yeah I think people just assume because you're dealing well with injecting yourself and that side of things that you must be dealing with it mentally? But it's so much more than that!

Is it normal to feel guilt too? I feel really guilty for worrying people like my Husband and my Mum? My Children are too young to properly understand but I feel really bad for bringing it into the Family (even though I know I haven't done anything to cause this)