Exploring Diabetes and Mental Health Issues

Living with a chronic disease can take a toll on one’s mental health, so how can healthcare providers best support those living with diabetes?

Our host, Dr. Ronald Goldenberg, takes a deeper look into this topic with Dr. Michael Vallis, a Health Psychologist and Health Behaviour Change Consultant based in Halifax, and an Associate Professor in Family Medicine at Dalhousie University. He has authored chapters in the recent 2013 and 2018 Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines on Diabetes and Mental Health.

This episode discusses the common mental health issues associated with diabetes, with a particular focus on diabetes distress, psychological insulin resistance, and the fear of hypoglycemia. Our experts expand on the topics of what drives these challenges, how to recognize them in people living with diabetes, and the recent advances in diabetes management that allow individuals to overcome these barriers. They also discuss how to address these issues in a collaborative manner for more effective diabetes care and greater overall health outcomes.

Don’t miss the conversation!

The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.

Declaration of conflict of interest:

Dr. Goldenberg:

• Direct financial relationship including receipt of honoraria: Abbott, Agora, Amgen, Antibody, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, CCRN, CMSKTRG, Eli Lilly, EOCI, HIT Global, HLS, Inceptus, Janssen, LiV, Master Clinician Alliance, MD Briefcase, Merck, Mylan, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Script Medical, Servier, STA, Takeda, Toronto Knowledge Translation Working Group, Unik, Valeant. Membership on advisory boards or speaker’s bureau: Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, HLS, Janssen, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi. Funded grants, research or clinical trials: Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi.

Dr. Vallis:

• Membership on advisory boards or speaker’s bureau: Novo Nordisk, Abbvie, Bausch, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, Abbott, Lifescan, Merck. Funded grants, research or clinical trials: Novo Nordisk, Bausch, Abbott.