Your Health Checklist: Diabetes and DepressionDiabetes comes with a lot of different emotions; guilt, frustration, anger, resentment....anddepression.If you have Diabetes, you are at an increased risk of developing Depression.And Depression can make managing your Diabetes more difficult.Follow this checklist to help identify depression and get the treatment you need before it affects theday to day management of your diabetes and your overall health.Do: Talk to your healthcare provider about ways to handle the stress of managing your diabetes, andyour life.Do: Get help if you experience any of these symptoms nearly every day for at least two weeks:feelings of sadness or emptiness, poor concentration, irritability, sleeping too little or too much, anincrease or decrease in appetite, fatigue, not caring about your appearance or things you used tocare about and enjoy, or obsessive thoughts about death and dying.Do: Follow your healthcare provider’s instructions on a treatment plan.Do: Take all of your medications exactly as prescribed.Do: Make healthy food choices, get regular physical activity and get a good night’s sleep every night.These actions can go a long way to managing both your diabetes and depression.Do Not: Ignore any of your symptoms. Some people, especially men, might not want to admit thatthey need help.Do Not: Assume your Depression will go away on its own. Depression is a serious illness that oftengoes untreated.There are many causes of depression and a variety of treatment options so don’t be afraid to get thehelp you need. If you think you may be depressed, meet with your healthcare provider to find the besttreatment options for you.
