Understanding the emotional problems of living with diabetes

MENTAL health service Talking Matters Warrington is working with national charity Diabetes UK to understand the emotional and psychological needs of people living with diabetes.
The team has received training from the charity to learn more about the long-term condition and how it can impact on mental health.
Its aim is to encourage more people with diabetes to access the local service.
Simon Hammond, commissioning manager for mental health at NHS Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group said: “Talking Matters Warrington have embraced working in partnership with physical healthcare services and specialist sessions like this are an excellent way of improving awareness for staff and therefore service provision for the people of Warrington.”
Last month Diabetes UK launched the “It’s Missing” campaign, calling for more emotional and psychological support for people living with diabetes. New research from the charity found that seven out of 10 people feel overwhelmed by the demands of living with diabetes, significantly affecting their mental and physical health. It also uncovered that three quarters of people with diabetes who needed mental health support could not access it.
Clare Howarth, of Diabetes UK said: “Emotional and psychological support is a vital part of diabetes care and should be available for anyone who needs it and yet it is so often overlooked. We’re are incredibly grateful to Talking Matters Warrington for working with us to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and diabetes. We hope that by working together we can ensure that people who need emotional and psychological support are able access it.”
Talking Matters Warrington is part of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, designed to help people access talking therapies as close to home or work as possible.
To find out more about Talking Matters Warrington visit: https://www.mhm.org.uk/talking-matters-warrington
For more information about Diabetes UK’s campaign ‘It’s missing: Emotional and mental health support’, go to www.diabetes.org.uk/missing