Psychological support should improve therapy -

Diabetes Treatment: Don't Neglect the Psyche

Although diabetes is a metabolic disease, those affected also benefit from psychological support in addition to therapy. A psychologist who advocates greater integration of these approaches describes what such a concept might look like.

Adrian Grimshaw is a specialist psychologist at the Heart and Diabetes Center North Rhine-Westphalia in Bad Oeynhausen. He specializes in the psychological care of people with diabetes and explains how the chronically ill can benefit from an interdisciplinary approach.

Take a more holistic view of diabetes treatment

"People with chronic conditions benefit significantly when cared for by interdisciplinary treatment teams," Grimshaw points out. He advocates the close therapeutic involvement of psychologists in diabetological care. This concern has now been recognized by the German Diabetes Society (DDG).

As part of the promotion of young talents, Grimshaw was already invited to the 2021 autumn conference and was able to present his concept there. This year, he will give a lecture again in Berlin.

Apparently he's falling on sympathetic ears, as last year Grimshaw was the only psychologist in the psychology department who was supported under the Young Talent Project.

Diabetes is a collective term for a variety of disorders

"Diabetes mellitus is actually a collective term that describes very diverse disorders of human metabolism with equally complex effects on almost every major organ," says Grimshaw.

"The people concerned are therefore confronted with very varied and often very stressful problems that must be overcome", continues the specialist psychologist.

According to him, psychological support can provide decisive help and contribute to a better overall treatment outcome.

Relaxation techniques and hypnosis in diabetes

At the Diabetes Center NRW, the specialist psychologist focuses on counseling and supporting people with diabetes and their families. The offer includes, for example, relaxation methods and medical hypnosis. (vb)

Author and source information

This text corresponds to the specifications of the specialized medical literature, medical guidelines and current studies and has been verified by health professionals.

Author:

Graduate editor (FH) Volker Blasek

Sources:

Important note:
This article contains general advice only and should not be used for self-diagnosis or treatment. It cannot substitute a visit to the doctor.