A recent article in Clinical Diabetes (v. 16, n 2, 1998) 
discusses the role of psychologists in helping diabetics.   

   According to the authors, "One in every four diabetic 
patients suffers from recurring problems with depression, 
anxiety, or eating disorders."  

   They write that depression and anxiety are more common 
among diabetics than in the general population and that 
major depression that "severely impairs quality of life 
and all aspects of functioning" affects approximately 20% 
of diabetics.  Most severely depressed diabetics do not 
get diagnosed or receive treatment for their depression.  

   The authors also discuss the common problem of  "non-
compliance" with treatment -- or in other words, not faith-
fully taking care of ourselves and following our treatment 
plans.  They state that this is often mistakenly attributed
 to lack of knowledge about diabetes care, but that there 
are many reasons why diabetics often fail to follow their 
treatment plans.  Some of the reasons range from basic human 
nature and the difficulty of the task to stress, inadequate 
social support, and unhelpful beliefs -- as well as 
psychological problems including depression, anxiety, and 
eating disorders.  

   They note that nearly all diabetics have occasional 
lapses in how well they follow their treatment plans and,
citing studies, present some statistics on the rate of 
"non-compliance" among diabetics.  They suggest that:

   35-75% do not follow their meal plan properly
   20-80% do not administer their insulin properly
   30-70% do not accurately record their meter readings
   25-52% do not take adequate care of their feet
   70-81% do not get adequate exercise

   The authors encourage diabetics to seek the help of 
psychologists to address any depression, anxiety or eating
disorders, as well as to help stick to their treatment plans, 
find more helpful ways to cope, reduce health risks, improve 
family relationships, address stress, and get support in 
dealing with the many issues involved in having diabetes.