Tag: Children

The Emotional Cost Of Childhood Diabetes

Post author By Admin
Post date September 8, 2022
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Childhood diabetes brings many emotional and psychological problems to children. It involves a demanding regimen of medications, dietary regulations, doctor’s appointments and exercise. All of this can put a lot of mental strain on children and disrupt their day-to-day life. Kids may even have to compromise on attending social functions like sleepovers, birthday parties, etc.

Such lifestyle changes may eventually induce stress in children and impact their emotional development, giving rise to mental health problems like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, etc.

This emotional cost of diabetes often gets neglected. However, it is essential to understand these emotional and mental health problems associated with childhood diabetes to promote the overall health of children and manage their diabetes better.

Mental Health and Emotional Problems Faced by Children With Diabetes

Depression

Developing depression in diabetes is extremely common. There are a lot of negative feelings around diabetes that can trigger depressive symptoms like sadness, distractibility, sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, low motivation, anger, headaches, etc. In many cases of childhood diabetes, depression has even led to suicide.

Therefore, it is important to recognise these symptoms at an early stage and get the appropriate treatment. Psychotherapy, medications, and support groups are some of the best ways to deal with depression and diabetes distress.

Anxiety Disorders

Many children with diabetes also suffer from anxiety disorders. One of the leading reasons for anxiety is the fear of hypoglycemia. Children live in constant fear of facing hypoglycemic symptoms like slurred speech, blurry vision, tremors, etc., in the middle of school or playground.

There is also an underlying fear of developing diabetes complications like foot problems, eye problems, etc. To tackle this anxiety disorder, parents and caregivers should try to create a peaceful and less anxious environment around kids. Support groups and awareness programs can also help cope with anxiety.

Eating Disorders

The dietary regulations imposed on kids can result in the development of several eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, a condition in which children think excessively about food and its impact on their body weight.

These eating disorders can adversely affect the metabolic activities in the body and increase the risk of diabetes complications. They are also linked with high mortality rates in children with diabetes. Therefore, it is important to look out for symptoms and treat eating disorders at an early stage.

Behavioural Problems

Childhood diabetes can make children feel frustrated over time. This frustration can fuel aggressive reactions toward high or low blood sugar levels and affect their behaviour towards everyone. In addition, childhood diabetes can also make kids rebellious towards controlling their blood sugar levels, making it extremely challenging for parents and caregivers to manage their diabetes.

The best way to deal with these behavioural problems is by being empathetic towards children. Parents should try to connect with them more and find out the root issues and concerns.

Tips for Parents and Caregivers

Parents and caregivers are the keys to managing childhood diabetes. It is important for them to handle mental health and emotional problems properly to avoid future complications. Some of the tips that can help them are:

Be empathetic towards the kids. Listen to their problems, acknowledge them and make them comfortable to share their distress and concerns about diabetes.

Appreciate the kids for all minor and major achievements. Remember that every step counts.

Share the responsibilities with your kids. Remind them of their medications, check their blood glucose levels, exercise with them, take care of their diet, etc. It will help relieve the burden from their shoulders and make them feel supported.

Do not make diabetes the main topic of conversation in your house. Make your kids understand that diabetes is only a part of their lives and not their whole life.

Educate your kids about diabetes to make them feel less fearful and negative about the disease.

Spend quality time with your kids. Go shopping, watch movies or take part in any other recreational activity. All this can help alleviate depression and anxiety.
Provide treatment for mental health problems. Encourage your kids to take help from the healthcare team, a therapist or a support group.

The Final Takeaway

Childhood diabetes can have a profound impact on the mental health and emotional development of children. It can cause many mental health problems like anxiety, depression, aggression, eating disorders, etc. However, parents and caregivers can reduce this emotional cost of diabetes by being aware of the symptoms and providing treatment to their kids as soon as possible.

References

Tags anxiety, Childhood Diabetes, Children, Children With Diabetes, depression, Eating Disorders, Emotional Problems, Kids, Mental Health

Diabetes Care

Understanding The Impact Of Diabetes On Childhood Development

Post author By Admin
Post date June 8, 2022
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Diabetes is a chronic disease that can affect people of all ages, including children. In fact, the rate of diabetes is continuously rising in young people.

Diabetes in children not only impacts their blood glucose levels but also impairs their childhood development. Let’s know more about how diabetes affects development in children in detail.

Diabetes In Children

Children are prone to getting both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. However, type 1 diabetes is more common in kids as compared to type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes In Children

Type 1 diabetes in children, also known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disorder in which the pancreas is unable to produce insulin. Without insulin, the blood sugar cannot reach the cells, causing high blood sugar levels.

The treatment of type 1 diabetes usually involves the lifelong use of insulin along with diet and exercise management to regulate blood sugar levels.

Type 2 Diabetes in Children

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the insulin is not working correctly, leading to an accumulation of glucose in the bloodstream.

Type 2 diabetes is more common in older people. However, children can also develop it, especially with the rising cases of childhood obesity. Having a parent or close relative with type 2 diabetes also increases the risk of developing the disease.

Its treatment usually involves dietary changes, exercise management and weight regulation. Sometimes, children may also be prescribed medicines to manage the disease.

Impact Of Diabetes On Children And Their Development

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can affect the growth and development of the major organs of your children’s bodies and increase the risk of numerous complications. These complications can include:

Diabetic Ketoacidosis: DKA occurs when high blood sugar levels lead to the development of ketones in the body. It is a serious health condition that needs to be treated immediately. If not treated right away, your child may even go into a diabetic coma. This complication of diabetes is more prevalent in type 1 diabetes and is rarely found in children with type 2 diabetes.
Autoimmune Disorders: Children with type 1 diabetes are also at a higher risk of developing other autoimmune disorders such as thyroid and celiac disease.
Cognitive Impairment: Diabetes is also closely associated with having mild cognitive deficits. It can affect a child’s learning and cause difficulty in attention, memory, processing speed and perceptual skills.
Hypoglycemia: Diabetes may also cause the blood glucose levels to drop extremely low in the body, a condition known as hypoglycemia. Having severe or long-lasting hypoglycemia can result in seizures and serious brain injuries in children.
Heart Diseases: Diabetes can affect the functioning of your child’s heart and increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as narrowed blood vessels, high blood pressure levels, heart diseases and stroke, in the later stages of their lives.
Nerve Damage: High blood sugar levels can damage the tiny blood vessels in your child’s nerves and cause tingling, numbness or pain. Gradually, over a long period of time, it may also damage the nerves and lead to peripheral neuropathy.
Kidney Diseases: Diabetes can injure the tiny blood vessel clusters in your child’s kidneys and impair their filtration function, thereby increasing the risk of kidney damage and other kidney diseases.
Eye Disorders: Diabetes can also damage the blood vessels in the eye’s retina and lead to vision problems, including blindness.
Osteoporosis: Diabetes may lower the bone mineral density of your children and put them at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis as an adult.

How Can You Manage The Impact Of Diabetes And Prevent It?

Help your child maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Motivate them and work with them to achieve their health goals.
Make your child aware of their dietary and exercise regulations and teach them the importance of adhering to them.
Take your child to regular health check-ups to prevent complications before they arise.

The Bottom Line

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can affect the growth and development of children and increase their risk of developing several diabetes complications. Diabetes tends to impact almost all major organs, and if not managed properly, it can also damage them in the long run.

References

Tags Childhood Development, Children, Diabetes, diabetes complications, High Blood Sugar Levels, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes

Lifestyle

Impacts Of Juvenile Diabetes On Children’s Mental Health

Post author By Admin
Post date December 9, 2021
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Juvenile diabetes, also known as type 1 diabetes, is a condition in which the pancreas stops producing insulin or produces very little insulin in the body. This condition is mostly developed in children and can be extremely challenging for them as well as their families. Like any other chronic disease, juvenile diabetes also affects the mental health of the patients. Understanding how profound the impact of juvenile diabetes is on the children’s mental health can help the caregivers better manage their strategies.

Can Juvenile Diabetes Cause Mental Health Problems In Children?

Juvenile diabetes usually requires a complex and demanding treatment regimen. It involves taking several medications, following dietary regulations, attending doctor’s appointments, frequently administering insulin, regular monitoring of blood glucose levels and adopting lifestyle practices to prevent diabetes complications. These tasks tend to disrupt the normal functioning of the day-to-day activity of kids and even impose restrictions on attending social functions such as sleepovers, birthday parties, etc. All this can be extremely exhausting and stress-inducing for children. Therefore, most children with juvenile diabetes suffer from mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorders and behavioural disorders.

What Are The Mental Health Problems Faced By Children With Juvenile Diabetes?

Depression:

About 25% of the children with type 1 diabetes develop depression and diabetes stress over time, mostly due to the negative feelings they have about diabetes. They often experience depressive symptoms such as sadness, distractibility, sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, low motivation, anger, tantrums, stomach ache, headaches, etc. In many cases, depression may also lead to suicide.

Depression can make diabetes management ineffective and produce poorer outcomes. It also increases the risk of diabetes complications in children. Therefore, it is important to identify depressive symptoms in children and help them overcome them. You may take the help of your medical team and therapists for the same. Support groups are also effective in dealing with diabetes distress.

Anxiety Disorder:

Many children with juvenile diabetes also suffer from anxiety disorders. It has been found that the main reason for anxiety is fear of hypoglycemia. Children live in constant fear of having a hypoglycemic condition in schools, parks, etc. This constant anxiety can affect the glycemic control of the body and make diabetes management ineffective. Therefore, it is important to reduce the fearful atmosphere surrounding juvenile diabetes and make the children feel more comfortable and less anxious. Education and awareness programs for the same can be proven highly effective.

Eating Disorders:

Many children, especially adolescents, suffer from eating disorders as a result of having juvenile diabetes. The dietary regulations and the constant need to maintain the body weight can develop eating disordered behaviour, such as dieting for weight control, binge eating, etc. One of the most common eating disorders developed due to juvenile diabetes is anorexia nervosa, where children develop rigid thinking about food. These eating disorders can impact metabolic activities negatively and increase the risk of diabetes complications. They also tend to increase the mortality rate in children with diabetes. Therefore, it is essential to recognise this disorder at an early stage and get them treated.

What Can The Parents Do?

Parents and families are most important in the diabetes management of children. They play a key role in helping their child adjust to diabetes and deal with psychological distress. Some of the tips given below can help parents strategise the diabetes management plan more effectively:

Listen to your children’s problems. Always acknowledge them and make them feel comfortable as they share their distress around diabetes.
Share the diabetes management tasks with your kids. You can become their exercise buddy, remind them of their medications, check their blood glucose levels, etc. It will help relieve the burden on your children’s shoulders.
Appreciate your kids for all the small achievements or efforts. Every small step counts.
Do not punish them for low or high numbers. Understand the reasons behind these numbers and work with them as a team.
Do not always talk about diabetes. Distract yourself and your kids with other activities. Make them feel that diabetes is just a part of their life, not the whole life.
Chronic illness can make your kids feel left out. Spend quality time with them and let them know that you are always with them.
Advise your children to talk to the diabetes team about their concerns. You can also take psychological help from a therapist or take your children to a support group.

Takeaway:

Juvenile diabetes can have a profound impact on the mental health of children. It can cause many psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety. These disorders not only affect diabetes management negatively but also increase the risk of diabetes complications. Therefore, it is important to address these problems and deal with them effectively to reduce psychological stress in children.

References:

Tags anxiety, Children, depression, Eating Disorders, Juvenile Diabetes, Mental Health, Psychological Disorders, Type 1 Diabetes

Diabetes Care

How Parents And Other Adults Can Support Children With Diabetes

Post author By Admin
Post date August 16, 2021
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Processing the fact that your child has a chronic illness can be extremely hard. Accepting that your child will need effective management for the rest of his or her life can be tough and it is completely normal to feel a bit of sadness and grief.

It is vital to take care of your own needs as well as that of your child’s. Whenever you can, let others (such as friends and relatives) share the responsibilities of providing care to your family.

Once you begin to recognise the feelings of your child, you may need some tips to help you cope with those emotions. Some of these tips are mentioned below.

Acknowledge The Feelings Of Your Child

Talk to your child on a regular basis. Listen to everything he or she says before bringing up your feelings. This type of communication need not be verbal always. Playing music, writing, or drawing can help children with diabetes to express their emotions.

Encourage Active Healthcare Management

It is crucial to reinforce the idea that when children take excellent care of themselves and efficiently manage their diabetes, they can avoid unpleasant things such as taking extra insulin shots or the need to miss out on activities that are enjoyed by their friends. Your child may even want to pose questions to the doctor on their own.

Cultivate Independence

It can be quite difficult at first, but it is essential to not give in to the urge to overprotect your child or lower your expectations. Instead, you need to encourage the same independence that you would expect from your other children. With the support and encouragement of parents, children with diabetes can take up some key responsibilities to manage it, which boosts their confidence levels.

Help Your Child Know Their Strengths

Is your child a sports lover or an avid reader? Is he or she good at singing or painting? You need to realise that diabetes doesn’t define your child’s life: the condition is just a small part of their identity.

Focus on Friendships

When children with diabetes have fun with friends, it gives them a sense of belonging besides building confidence. You need to encourage your child to talk to their friends about diabetes. This can help their friends feel more at comfort during interaction in the same manner they did prior to the diagnosis. Rather than focusing on a single thing that is different, children can divert the attention on things that they have in common with their pals.

Find Ways To Combat Bullying

Sometimes, children pick on those peers with diabetes or other health conditions. To combat teasing and bullying, you must inform your child about specific coping mechanisms such as confiding in an adult, using humour or compliments to throw the bully off guard, or acting bravely, walking away, and ignoring the bully.

Correct Misconceptions

Speak to your child about the fact that diabetes is not a repercussion for some past deed or that they deserve the condition; diabetes just happens. Moreover, if your child feels a sense of guilt that his or her condition is causing problems to you and other family members, provide reassurance that this is not the case. On the contrary, your child needs to focus on coming to terms with their feelings about diabetes, and not yours.

Create A Diabetes Management Plan

Before the commencement of the academic year, consult your child’s healthcare team to create a personalised Diabetes Medical Management Plan (DMMP). Then, pay a visit to the school and review the DMMP with the principal, teachers, and other support staff, who may shoulder the responsibility of caring for your child during school hours.

Build Self-Esteem

Build the self-esteem of your child and understand their range of emotions because children may feel a little too overwhelmed with what is happening. In addition, they may feel inferior to their peers.

Speak to Other Parents Who Have Children With Diabetes

Sometimes, knowing what is ideal and best for your child and the best way of combating diabetes in children, can be quite confusing. Connecting with other parents can help you take the best course of action.

The Final Word:

As a parent, it can be extremely overwhelming to know that your child has diabetes. There are ample things to learn, and you will need to speed up on effective management of diabetes as well as incorporate lifestyle changes to ensure everything is smooth with your child’s physical and emotional wellbeing.

Reference Links:

Tags Child, Children, Children With Diabetes, Diabetes, Support Children With Diabetes

Diabetes Care

Diabetes In Children And Teenagers: Symptoms And Complications

Post author By Admin
Post date July 2, 2021
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Diabetes is one of the most prevalent diseases in children and adolescents around the world. India is home to nearly 128,550 children and adolescents with diabetes, out of which almost 97,700 children are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. This number makes India the second most affected country with type 1 diabetes in children. Although type 1 diabetes is more commonly found in children, the number of type 2 diabetes is also increasing rapidly. These numbers are just a glimpse of the grave situation of diabetes in children, the actual numbers are much higher as most of the cases remain undiagnosed.

Type 1 Diabetes In Children

In type 1 diabetes, the insulin-producing cells are destroyed and the body stops producing insulin. As a result, the blood sugar levels of children rise. In this condition, the use of insulin becomes mandatory to survive. Although type 1 diabetes can develop at any age from childhood to adulthood, the average age of developing type 1 diabetes is between 13 to 15 years, making it the most commonly found type of diabetes in young people.

Type 2 Diabetes In Children

Type 2 diabetes is less common in children and teenagers. However, the cases are continuously rising. Children who have close relatives with type 2 diabetes and children who suffer from obesity are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Early detection of the disease can save children from many chronic complications. The treatment usually involves some medications and lifestyle changes. Maintaining a healthy body weight is also very important for children with type 2 diabetes.

Symptoms Of Type 1 Diabetes In Children

The symptoms of type 1 diabetes can develop rapidly in children. Some of the common symptoms of type 1 diabetes in children and teenagers are:

Increased thirst and hunger
Frequent urination
Weight loss
Fatigue
Blurred Vision

Apart from these symptoms, many children also suffer from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which is a serious complication of type 1 diabetes. Most of the time, detection of DKA becomes responsible for the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. However, you may diagnose type 1 diabetes before developing DKA by being aware of 4 Ts in children.

Toilet:

Children urinating frequently, infants having heavier nappies and babies wetting the bed after being dry

Thirsty:

Children drinking excessive amounts of fluids and yet not able to quench their thirst

Tired:

Children feeling tired than usual

Thinner:

Children losing weight and getting thinner

Symptoms Of Type 2 Diabetes In Children

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes take a long time to develop in children and therefore, many times, it gets delayed to diagnose type 2 diabetes. Some common symptoms of type 2 diabetes are:

Frequent urination, especially during nights
Feeling more thirsty
Unexplained weight loss
Fatigue and tiredness
Blurry vision
Slow healing of wounds and cuts

Complications Of Type 1 Diabetes In Children

One of the most serious complications of type 1 diabetes in children is diabetic ketoacidosis or DKA. When your body doesn’t have enough insulin and your cells can’t get glucose for energy, your body starts burning fat and in this process starts producing ketones. Ketones are highly toxic chemicals that make your body acidic and cause DKA.

This condition is so serious that it can even lead to diabetic coma as well as death, if not diagnosed and treated in time. Most of the time, DKA is incorrectly diagnosed and therefore can be proven extremely fatal and dangerous. Parents must look out for all the early warning signs of type 1 diabetes to reduce the chances of the child suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis.

Complications Of Type 2 Diabetes In Children

Type 2 diabetes is progressive in nature, especially in children. Therefore, it can lead to many lifelong chronic complications such as kidney diseases, eye diseases, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, nerve damage, etc. However, in the case of type 2 diabetes, dietary and lifestyle changes play a very important role. You may be able to prevent these complications by maintaining a healthy body weight, eating a balanced diet and staying physically active.

Prevent Diabetes In Children

It is not possible to prevent the development of type 1 diabetes in children. However, you can easily prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

Eat A Healthy Diet:

Avoid eating packaged food and limit the consumption of refined sugar. Eat a healthy diet loaded with fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Maintain A Healthy Body Weight:

Maintaining a healthy body weight is extremely important to prevent diabetes. Exercise regularly and stay physically active.

Manage Your Stress:

Stress is one of the leading causes of diabetes in children. Use relaxing techniques such as yoga and meditation to alleviate your stress.

Do Not Miss The Warning Signs:

With an increased number of cases of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in children, it has become extremely important for us to be continuously aware of the symptoms and warning signs of diabetes. Look out for these signs and contact your doctor immediately in case of any symptom. Early diagnosis can help prevent the development of many chronic complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis.

Reference Links:

Tags Adolescents, Children, Complications, Diabetes, Diabetic Ketoacidosis, DKA, Symptoms, Teenagers, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes