Mental health management: Breaking down the barriers

My name is Tegan, and I've lived with type 1 diabetes for 24 years now, since the tender age of 7 (I'll let you do the math on how old that makes me!) I remember my diagnosis like it was yesterday. 

I grew up in a small coastal town, where access to specialists and complex medical care was scarce. 

Diagnosis  

An after-school trip to Warrnambool, a larger neighboring town, turned into a week-long stay in hospital and a brand-new identity that assured me life as I knew it, would never be the same. 

It was just after my diagnosis that I met Kiah, another young girl, just two years older than me who also lived with type 1 diabetes. She was in a peer support group in my hometown. In a town of less than population 10,000, news travels fast and soon, our mums connected.

From that point on, I realised how important it is to have someone else in your world who has understood life through the same lens as you.

Whenever I spot someone living with type 1 in the ‘wild’ – usually identified by visible continuous glucose monitors (CGM), wearable pumps, and unruly infusion lines - I get a little excited and often find myself approaching and revealing my own devices in a silent nod of solidarity.  

They know what it's like to have to make over 180 extra decisions a day, unwillingly thrown into the job of 'CEO of the Pancreas'. It's quite funny to think that we do the literal job of an organ, all because our body’s defense army got a little too excited and invaded the wrong camp. 

Crunching the mental numbers 

But, there are still times living with type 1 diabetes can feel rather isolating.  

The long-term physical complications of diabetes are well documented, but the emotional and mental toll that living with a chronic, 'always-on' condition isn’t always as evident.  

Did you know that more than 30% of people with diabetes may have a concurrent mental health condition? Research tells us that having diabetes more than doubles the risk of developing depression. Living with depression and other mental health conditions can make even the thought of diabetes management feel like a looming burden. 

Not only does high or low blood glucose have immediate emotional effects, but over time, frequent unstable blood glucose can contribute to lower mood. 

Dealing with the constant demands of managing diabetes daily can be enough to cause burnout and fatigue.  

To have to think, pause, and calculate before taking a bite or a sip, to have to plan every time you leave the house, the injections, finger pricks, pump line and cannula changes, CGM insertions.  

The list goes on! 

And then, there's the stigma. I can't tell you the number of times I've been asked to remove myself or go to the bathroom to inject my insulin. 

But, as we know, overlooking diabetes management, for any reason, comes an increased likelihood of developing diabetes related health complications.  

Managing together 

It was when that beautiful friend, Kiah, who had been my 'diabuddy' since diagnosis, suddenly passed away while she was living on campus at university. I was 17, she was 19. After this tragic loss, the teenage rebellion streak in me started to fade, and the reality of this condition, and its ability to turn south rather quickly and seriously, dawned on me.  

I live with depression, anxiety, and ADHD, and learning that there are counsellors, psychologists, and psychiatrists who specialise not only in chronic disease, but in type 1 diabetes, has been a profound game changer.  

Since moving to Melbourne when I was 19 and encountering a vast array of clinical approaches from specialists, I found my 'Charlie’s Angels' of a healthcare team. 

Some appointments we don’t even look at the numbers, and not once with my current team have I ever felt the need to avoid my appointments and blood tests out of fear of a shameful lecture on being a 'bad diabetic'. 

I would encourage anyone who is having a difficult time managing the chronic demands of living with type 1 diabetes to seek support, because there's so much out there. 

Accessibility will only continue to improve, and the more we share our experiences and normalise the challenges that come with 'CEO of Pancreas', the less isolated and alone we will feel.  

And if I could go back to my 7-year-old self and reassure her that she wasn't alone, and there are thousands of people out there who experience the same things that she did, I think it would have eased her little soul. As it does mine now. 

Reach Out

If you are feeling isolated or as though you're not managing as well as you would like, you are not alone. There are support options, including peer support groups, counsellors, diabetes specific psychologists or anyone within your health care team. If you don't currently have a health care team, the Diabetes Clinic is here for you. 

You can also call the diabetes help line on 1300 437 386 at any time to discuss your needs. 

If this story has raised any issues for you, there is immediate help. 

• Beyond Blue
• Lifeline