Saturday, July 23, 2011

Diabetics Need To Know These 2 Types Of Depression



People that have diabetes are twice as more vulnerable towards getting clinical depression as those without it. Those who suffer from diabetes are highly more at risk of letting their disease worsen. They tend to miss more days at work and lose a sense of their everyday well-being.

There are several types of depression, but the two main ones are dysthymic disorder and clinical depression.


Dysthymic disorder is a very mild form of depression that lasts for at least 2 years.  The symptoms of this disorder is:

  • Poor appetite
  • Overeating
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Sleeping too much
  • Fatigue
  • Feelings of hopelessness

The symptoms of dysthymic depression are not so serious, you or family members might not even recognize that it is there. Although the signs of this type of depression are not so obvious, it still can be hard to function.


Clinical depression is very visible. It is when a person has lost an interest in daily activities and pleasure most of the time. These feelings last for about 2 weeks. The mood change must be so severe that it disrupts your usual daily tasks at work, home or school.

Other symptoms of this type of depression are:

  • Significant weight loss
  • Weight gain
  • Change in appetite
  • loss of energy
  • Hard time falling or staying asleep
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Sleeping too much
  • Sense of worthlessness or guilt
  • Thoughts of suicide

If you think that you or someone you know has these signs of depression, then you should seek help. It is important to learn about depression if you or someone you know may be prone to it and have diabetes. Sometimes it can be easy to miss. Depression also runs in the family as well.

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