Diabetics and their mental health
Mental health has an impact in everyone’s daily life and those suffering from any sickness or disease are no exception.
It is all about the state of mind – how you think and feel, how you handle stress, communicate and understand others, and the choices or decisions that you make. People seek assistance from Empower Pacific, an NGO that provides counselling to people facing issues affecting their mental health. Those suffering from non-communicable diseases like diabetes have also sought counselling for mental health issues affecting them. In this article, we focus on the mental health of the diabetics and counselling assistance provided to them by the NGO’s qualified counsellors based at its various branches in Fiji.
FROM January to April this year, Empower Pacific provided counselling assistance to 23 diabetics.
These cases were referred to Empower Pacific by doctors at the National Diabetes Centre in Suva and from hospitals around the country, or from the communities they live in.
Empower Pacific has a long-term partnership with the Ministry of Health
& Medical Services, thus the referrals.
The partnership looks at a collaborative approach in providing holistic care to people for their mental health and psychosocial well-being.
Some people reached out via the 24/7 toll-free counselling helpline 5626 which is supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade.
In January, there were three cases with one aged between 18 and 25 years while two were between 36 and 55 years old.
Six people with diabetes were provided counselling in February, with the youngest being a girl below 17 years, one client between 18 and 25, and four were more than 56 years old.
In March, there were three cases. Two clients were between 36 and 55 years, and one more than 56 years old.
There were 11 cases in April – one between 18 and 25, six between 36 and 55, and four more than 56 years old.
Among those provided counselling assistance in April were three people living with disabilities.
One of those referred to Empower Pacific by a doctor at the National Diabetes Centre recently was a woman in her mid-20s for non-compliance to her diet and the lack of physical activity.
She was attended to by our counsellor and Suva branch team leader, Kavita Kumar, at our Suva office.
The client was provided counselling upon her approval later and she opened up and spoke to the counsellor on some issues that were affecting her mental and physical health.
She stated that she wants to exercise but gets tired easily.
Ms Kumar suggested to her that she find ways to keep herself active and seek the assistance of a friend who may assist and motivate her to exercise, or they can exercise together.
She said the client realised that she can make small changes such as having healthy snacks like celery sticks and cucumber when she feels like having a snack.
“During the counselling session, she also stated that she may choose to exercise and also do chores at home in order to be physically active,” she said.
“The client felt that she was stressed because everyone was seeing her in a negative perspective and that she would make small changes to keep herself healthy and fit.
“She felt happy as she left to go home and her mother felt relieved that she was smiling.
“Despite all the challenges, counselling helped the client to see beyond her problems and continuously work on herself to live a healthier life,” said Ms Kumar.
Another case referred to Empower Pacific by the National Diabetes Centre and dealt with by our Suva-based counsellor Virendra Singh was that of a man in his 50s.
Mr Singh learned from the client that he was anxious over many things, which contributed to a rise in his sugar level.
“The client was unable to cope with his anxiety and recurring thoughts, and he had insufficient psychological tools to cope with it,” he said.
“Even though he has an amputation on a foot, he takes care of his emotions and thoughts now with the help of positive coping mechanisms. He is determined to recover soon.
“He is aware that anxiety and worry can contribute to an increase in his sugar level, thus, he is practicing the strategies of self-care and selfawareness. “He takes care of his physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual health every day now.”
Mr Singh said the client was grateful for the counselling assistance provided to him and they were still communicating with each other with regards to him attaining a positive mental health. People facing issues affecting their mental health are encouraged to call the Empower Pacific 24/7 toll-free counselling helpline 5626 from Vodafone and Digicel networks and talk to our qualified counsellors.
AVINESH GOPAL is Empower Pacific’s media and communications officer based in Lautoka. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper.