Psychosocial and cultural issues in diabetes mellitus

摘要

Diabetes mellitus, as a component of the-metabolic syndrome may be considered a paradigm of chronic non-communicable diseases. Psychological, social and cultural factors have an intimate role in the course of managing the disease, and in some ways may have a role in the cause of the disease. inappropriate activation of hypothalamo pituitary adrenal axis can lead to the metabolic syndrome. Psychological reactions and coping mechanisms operate at the time of diagnosis of diabetes, and continue all though management stages. Generic psychological instruments of health must be supplemented by disease-specific measures such as quality of life, well being, adjustment to diabetes, barriers to care and integration of diabetes. Work in India has shown the prevalence of abnormalities in various components, as well as documented interaction among patients and their families in living with diabetes. A comprehensive biopsychosocial model for living effectively with diabetes must be generated, fine-tuned and finally implemented.