Diabetes causes significant stress for children

Diabetes causes significant stress for children and threatens social problems

10.01.2011

Diabetes brings a particularly heavy psychological burden for affected children. While the direct burden of the disease are relatively easy to handle, the underage diabetes patients are often under severe stress and there is a risk that they develop into outsiders, said the Stuttgart child psychologist, Bela Bartus told the news agency „dpa“.

While type 2 diabetes (also called adult onset diabetes or diabetes) usually develops over the life of the disease, the inheritable form of type 1 diabetes usually occurs in childhood. So far, about ten percent of all diabetes patients in Germany are affected by diabetes type I, among them currently about 25,000 children. But every year, the proportion of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes increases by almost five percent, said Bela Bartus, child psychologist at the Stuttgart Olga hospital. And although type 1 diabetics can live a virtually symptom-free life, according to the expert, the affected children are particularly likely to have social problems.

Type I diabetes: Affected children often have social problems
In type 1 diabetes, the pancreatic insulin-producing cells (pancreas) are destroyed and those affected suffer from acute insulin deficiency. This has to be compensated for a lifetime by insulin injections, but in general it is generally possible for a type 1 diabetic to be virtually symptom-free with appropriate medication. However, especially for children go with the disease associated with significant mental stress. Not only do they have to accept the fact that they are ill for life and depend on insulin injections, but their surroundings often treat them differently than healthy children and develop corresponding social problems, said Bela Bartus, specialist at the clinic with Germany's third largest diabetes Ambulance. The children eat their problems into themselves and it threatens the development to outsiders, so the assessment of the expert.

Accept illness and be open about it
Bela Bartus stressed that the approximately 25,000 children with type 1 diabetes „accept their incurable disease and talk about it“ need to get to grips with the psychological consequences. Handling the fate of type 1 diabetes is certainly not easy for adolescents, but inevitable in terms of psychological well-being, says the expert. For acute problems, it is advisable to consult a specialist (child psychologist, psychotherapist etc.) in order to make it easier for the children to deal with the illness and to avoid possible disadvantages.

Five percent more children with type I diabetes every year
There are currently around eight million diabetics in Germany, with 90 percent of them suffering from type II diabetes and about 10 percent suffering from type I diabetes. Among the Type I diabetics are about 25,000 children, with the number of affected adolescents in recent years has increased annually by about five percent, said Bela Bartus. Therefore, the spread of this mainly due to genetic predisposition disease should be given an increased level of attention and an open treatment of those affected with their suffering to be supported, so the conclusion of the expert. (Fp)

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Picture: CFalk