Depression & Weight Management In Diabetic Patients!

Depression can go unnoticed if you do not look out for its symptoms. A feeling of sadness that lasts for more than a few days is one of the most characteristic signs of depression. This can make the person feel worthless and cause him or her to lose interest in normal day to day activities. Depression combined with obesity and diabetes can also make a person withdraw from friends and family. It can also make people lose their appetite and eat unhealthy snacks instead of following a healthy meal plan. This aggravates both diabetes and obesity and can, in turn, make the person feel even more depressed.

Being overweight increases one s chances of suffering from Type 2 diabetes. This is because overeating stresses the endoplasmic reticulum inside cells and causes insulin resistance. This leads to persistently high sugar levels in the blood which ultimately leads to diabetes.

Some people can find it impossible to lose weight no matter how many diets they go on. In cases like this, if the individual has a BMI higher than 35, doctors may advise bariatric surgery. This type of surgery aids in weight loss by restricting the amount of food that can be eaten at a time. The different types of bariatric surgery include gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, insertion of an adjustable gastric band and inserting a biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch.

Losing weight is easier said than done especially for depressed diabetics. Unsuccessful weight loss attempts can make the person feel like a failure and worsen their mood. According to some studies, being on a diet itself can also aggravate depression. Depression can also make it difficult for a person to partake in weight loss activities such as regular exercise and healthy meal planning. The pessimism caused by failed weight loss attempts can make a person believe that they cannot lose weight and thus keep them from trying other activities to lose weight.