Only 6% of patients with type 2 diabetes receive psychological support

Type 2 diabetes generates uncertainty or fear in up to 34% of patients, anxiety and anger in 30.5% of cases, stress in 28.5% and depression in 18.5% of those affected.However, only 6% of patients acknowledge having received support from a psychologist to accept and live with the disease.This is shown by the results of a survey carried out with 200 patients and relatives by the Federation of Spanish Diabetics (FEDE), a member of Somos Patients, the General Council of Psychology in Spain and the Astrazeneca Foundation.

As Lorenzo Garmendia, president of Fede, explains, “Diabetes's debut generates a lot of anxiety because you have to change life habits and you have to start taking medication daily.In addition, many patients have a hard time assimilating that they suffer from the disease and at first they usually deny it, not fulfilling the treatment prescribed by their doctor.And if the patient is not psychically centered, it is very difficult for his illness to be well, since any situation of restlessness affects sugar levels. ”

Psychological help

Among other results, the study shows how up to 25% of patients who received psychological help from a professional say that they were very useful ', support that, according to 33.3% of those affected, resulted from'quite utility '.

In the words of Julio Sánchez Fierro, patron of the Astrazeneca Foundation, “we wanted to show the need to add new aspects and tools to deal with one of the main diseases of the 21st century.And, although there are several measures to prevent disease and drugs to treat it, the psychological needs that diabetics have are not covered. ”

All this despite the “very important role - Francisco Santolaya Ochando, president of the General Council of Psychology of Spain - refers to psychologists” that both in the diagnosis and in the follow -up of type 2 diabetes, given that “they can help increaseadherence to treatment ”.

Informative deficiency

With regard to patient environment, that is, family and friends, the degree of affectation in the face of the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is not excessively significant.Not surprisingly, only 16% of the cases consulted in the study claimed to feel ‘quite or very affected’ in the absence of the disease.

Likewise, and although all the participants - patients, relatives and general public - said the disease, 45.2% acknowledged that Spanish society is little or nothing informed about it, requiring, according to the 90% opinionof respondents, more information about it.

In fact, as Lorenzo Garmendia concludes, “Diabetes is a public health problem that requires comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach.And the 2011-2015 Diabetes Strategic Plan is not working.The cases remain increased and, consequently, we believe that the state initiatives that have been launched are not adequate and are not working, among other reasons because these patients continue to be treated as if they were acute and non -chronic patients. ”