A person with greater depression disorder suffers lack of interest or pleasure in daily activities for a prolonged period of time.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression can be diagnosed if at least five of the following symptoms are presented almost every day for two weeks:
- Depressive state.
- Loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities.
- important loss or weight gain;or loss of appetite.
- Insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleep).
- Agitation or psychomotor delay.
- Fatigue or loss of energy.
- Feelings of absence of self -value or excessive guilt.
- Loss of the ability to concentrate and decision making.
- Recurrent thoughts about death and suicide.
- When you're not just sad
Not all people with diabetes suffer levels of clinical depression.According to the International Diabetes Federation, low mood levels or minor depressive symptoms can be experienced.It can affect your well -being.
Dystimia is characterized by suffering at least two of the following symptoms:
- under appetite or eat more.
- Low self -esteem.
- Insomnia or hypersomnia.
- Little concentration or difficulty for decision making.
- Low energy or fatigue.
- Feelings of hopelessness.
A study made to 300 Hispanics of Mexican origin, published in 2008 by the International Diabetes Federation, found a 39% depression rate in southern Texas and 40.5% in the northeast of Mexico.
The dangers of being depressed
A depressed diabetic can suffer alterations at its glucose levels, either by hormonal deregulation or worsening its self -care decreasing its physical activity, neglecting the diet, consuming tobacco or alcohol or carrying a bad monitoring of its levels, which increases the riskto develop diabetic complications such as heart disease or nerve damage.
In a study in the Mexico American population, published in the Diabetes Care magazine, of the American Diabetes Association, it was found that patients with diabetes and depression were 4.1 more likely to generate a disability compared to 1.7 and 1.3 of possibilities in adults with onlydiabetes or only depression, respectively.
Friends treatments
There is evidence that the Hispanic population with diabetes in the United States is less prone to start and stay in an antidepressant treatment, compared to the white population due to the social stigma of mental conditions and economic and linguistic and cultural barriers to thethat face each other daily.
However, depression in diabetes is a common problem for which there are many successful treatment alternatives, for example:
Psychotherapy: The cognitive behavioral approach, focused on establishing concrete goals and obtaining results, has reported improvements in mood and diabetes control.
Medications: Medicines for depression and diabetes do not have to interfere with each other.Talk to your doctor about your mood, he could refer to a psychiatrist or another specialist to find the best options for you.
Diabetes self -care programs: According to the Mayo Clinic, plans that focus on behavior have proven successful by helping metabolism control, increasing exercise levels and managing weight loss and other risks of cardiovascular disease.They also improve the quality of life in general.
Family support: depression symptoms are reduced by increasing support levelsby close relatives among Mexicans born abroad.
This last point is important and varies, for example, according to a study published in 2013 by Clinical Diabetes magazine, diabetic Hispanic men report having significant support from their wives while women with the disease feel more alone.
