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Approved psychology project- Living with diabetes: adjustment to illness and well-being

I’ve had a bash but had to stop.
There’s more than two types of diabetes and the later questions assume everyone has down days and negative thoughts about themselves.
 
All done, brought home some truths................
 
Sorry I couldn't finish it as there wasn't a 'doesn't apply to me' option and a huge amount of it didn't apply to me.

My goodness, if you weren't depressed before doing that questionnaire you surely would be afterwards.

Not everyone with diabetes is depressed. We are all different.
 
Reactions: VMK

True, but many have, or are going through tough times.
 
Yes, i have at times, too. But not all or most of the time.

My replies to the questionnaire would change completely depending on whether I'm happy or depressed at the time of giving my replies.
 
Since experimenting with lchf and fasting my mood has improved and stabilised, so I could be forgiven for interpreting that as diabetes being responsible for better mental health in my case.
 
Have done it, have filled in the questionaire.
 
I agree that there should have been a ‘not applicable’ option on many of those questions.
Where there were questions that had no relevance to me, i chose the most neutral response option, but i do not feel that the questionnaire was designed in a way that reflects my situation accurately.

There was a strong assumption that i would be depressed, and that the depression would express itself as self-loathing.

Having been depressed for large chunks of my life (mainly before my blood glucose reached T2 levels), my experience was very different from the prevailing assumptions in the questionnaire.
 

Thats exactly how I felt about it. I gave up part way through because I didn't feel I could give proper answer about how I feel about having had T2 over the years.
 
One issue - some of my symptoms and feelings relate to my other chronic health conditions, especially fatigue and inability to relax. Would have been useful to ask about other health issues that are unrelated to diabetes.
 
TriciaWs said:
One issue - some of my symptoms and feelings relate to my other chronic health conditions, especially fatigue and inability to relax. Would have been useful to ask about other health issues that are unrelated to diabetes.
Click to expand...

I also stopped when I got to the first section of very negative statements. I know it was followed by a section of positive ones, but the damage had been done by then.

I nearly stopped on the first page as I’m not a conventional type 2.

And I have 2 other chronic conditions which can bring on some of the symptoms in the last section.
 
Seems like lots of psychological questionnaires in that it seeks to establish your pre disposition to be neurotic, depressed and have good self esteem or ability to take care of oneself, by asking lots of the same questions in different ways.
I assume the author will then correlate that to your gender, duration of diabetes and type of diabetes and develop some kind of theory on whether those with diabetes are more at risk of mental health issues or whether coping with such a demanding condition makes you stronger.
I suspect the latter however if you'd asked me in my teens or twenties I would not have agreed.
We all have things about ourselves that we dislike but cannot change. For me that's my type 1 along with being a raving introvert and chunky arms.
 

The hug was for the chunky arms.... I have the same problem.
 
Completed it"
I understand that such questionnaires have to ask the same or similar questions in various ways to ensure the consistency of responses from each individual.
I agree that other conditions need to be considered.
For example if one is depressed and has a strong family history of this that could be very relevant.
Similarly a question or two about whether a person had sort help and in what form seems relevant.
There were some questions seeking positivity but perhaps some idea of what things, methods, type of person did help with achieving and maintaining postivity seems relevant.
I remember a daughter whose father was diabetic saying that what helped her father most with his depression was reading "The Little Book of Hugs".
Hugs to all !!
 
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