Psychology support service
Patients' health can impact on how they feel in lots of different ways. Living with diabetes and trying to follow all the treatment, diet and exercise advice can be a lot to cope with.
Below are some of the things we know that people with diabetes might find difficult:
- Feelings of sadness, fear or anxiety and anger
- Feeling low or depressed; having no energy and being unable to sleep
- Managing and living with diabetes over many years
- Making lifestyle changes such as exercise and weight loss
- Feelings of failure or guilt when your diabetes self-care does not seem to be working
- Managing stress and feeling over-whelmed
- Worries about needles and blood
- Difficulties with food, eating and body image
- Relationship problems
Many of these problems are a very normal reaction to coping with diabetes. GP or the diabetes team can help reassure patients with diabetes and offer advice.
However, some people can benefit from some extra help and support from a psychological therapist. This does not mean they are "going mad" or "it's all in their head". At Homerton Hospital we want to support both physical and psychological health and therapists are working across lots of the departments and on the wards.
A psychological therapist can help to work through problems and find a solution by looking at the way thoughts, feelings and what an individual does are all connected. There are two psychological therapists working as part of the Hackney Diabetes Service at Homerton Hospital.
If you think this is something that might help you, please discuss it with your diabetes specialist nurse or diabetes specialist dietitian who will help you to access this service.