The director of the Marc Sankalé diabetes care center, Dr Maimouna Ndour Mbaye, drew attention on Thursday to the impact of stress on the physical and especially mental health of people suffering from this chronic pathology.
”Diabetes greatly affects people’s physical and mental health. Generally speaking, out of three diabetics, there is at least one who experiences distress, real distress as soon as the disease is detected,” declared Ms. Mbaye.
She took part in a press conference of the Senegalese Diabetic Support Association (Assad). This meeting with the press is organized as a prelude to the celebration of World Diabetes Day, scheduled for November 14, on the theme “Diabetes and well-being”.
Dr. Mbaye maintains that diabetes is a source of stress. ”One in three diabetics will tell you that they struggle to stay positive about this disease. Two out of three diabetics will tell you that they fear complications and that this affects their quality of life,” she explained.
”So, as soon as it is announced, the subject mourns his good health. Diabetes, through its manifestations, can be dangerous for an individual,” she warns.
She warns that ”stress will increase so-called hormones, like cortisol,” while ”adrenaline raises blood sugar.”
”In diabetics, blood sugar levels will remain high for a long time, because there is already an area where the hormones which should lower blood sugar levels are deficient,” she added.
This situation results, according to Dr. Maimouna Ndour Mbaye, from the worsening of the disease caused by stress itself. This happens indirectly, because a stressed subject may be less motivated to take care of their illness and follow their treatment, she explains.
”The subject who is stressed will also resign from the management of this infection, or be in a state of
moral distress. Affected individuals can react very differently to diabetes. There are subjects who will isolate themselves and be in denial about the disease,” she explained.
”We meet many who are in denial about this chronic infection and who, unfortunately, will expose themselves to complications. Others will be in distress, in depression. Others, on the other hand, will be more in denial, refusing to accept the illness,” she added.
Furthermore, she indicates that “there are certain people who will over-dramatize, dramatize and analyze, others who will trivialize. Which is not conducive to good management of this infection.
Faced with this situation, Ms. Mbaye believes that “it is important that together we can, collectively, unite to fight this disease.”
”We are launching an appeal to the authorities to fulfill this public service mission because health is a right devolved to the authorities who must today come to the aid of this community,” launched Baye Oumar Guèye, the president of the Assad.
”We want the authorities to make diabetes a social disease,” pleaded M; Gueye, journalist.
”Seventy-five percent of the association’s members come from a vulnerable group,” he said, to justify the interest in helping them.
In this regard, he recalled the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly of September 1975, which recommended that Senegal ensure care for the diabetic community.
APS
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