Diabetes Alert! Town Hall: Dr Medha Munshi

The impact of diabetes reaches far beyond the physical signs of the disease. There is an array of behavioural and psychiatric concerns that those with diabetes may present. Symptoms of diabetes can mirror psychiatric disorders and may make it challenging to differentiate between the two pathologies. Psychosocial factors that impact self-care include diabetes distress (burdens of diabetes and its treatment, worries about adverse consequences), lack of social and economic resources, other psychological states e.g., depression, anxiety etc., life circumstances, and lack of health literacy.

This month’s Diabetes Alert! Series town hall highlights the importance of addressing the emotional, behavioral, and social factors in treatment interventions to overcome barriers to optimal self-management.

As part of the DR Barometer programme, the Diabetes Alert! Series town halls aim to brings together key stakeholders to address gaps in patient awareness and education of diabetic eye diseases, as well as barriers to screening and treatment services, and identify opportunities to overcome them through collaborative and cross-sectoral partnerships.