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    • 9 hours ago
      kristina blake likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      With all technical advancements there are good things and bad things. The bad things (unforseen consequences) could be deadly like Hallucinations for the user, getting over doses of insulin. So, carefully thought out guard rails need to be developed and thoroughly tested. A good thing must be the accumulation of scenarios that KSannie mentioned. However it can not be completely autonomous. The current accuracy of Dex G7 and other sensors introduce error in to the calculations. This is similar to "self driving cars." The Robo taxi experiments have shown the unusual events that could become dangerous. Either audible situation commands or textual inputs like "goin to bed" or "driving" or "exercising" may be required at the beginning for a new user. As an example, after wearing my smart watch for a year now, it recognizes exercising without me having to tell it I'm exercising. This drives a more advanced and improved user interface. The other perceivable advantage might be accumulating changes over time, such as sicknesses, weight gain or loss, or changes in activity. Changes in food intake might be difficult to overcome. Something like "Under my Fork" app. Personally, I would like to see a reminder to bolis before eating! With all that said, we do we need all that? Probably not. Evolution of modified closed loop control may eliminate the need for AI control. The reality may be somewhere in-between the two.
    • 9 hours, 2 minutes ago
      kristina blake likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      I believe that AI may very well become a great tool - but at this time it still makes too many errors for me to be confident in it.
    • 9 hours, 2 minutes ago
      kristina blake likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      Here's my concern. I've used AI when meeting new clients to take notes of my meetings while I'm talking with the client. Ostensibly, this frees me up from having to jot down notes while talking - allowing me to give my full attention to the conversation. (Very good benefit of AI) Then, when reviewing the notes, AI literally fabricated scenarios that weren't discussed (AI Hallucinations are a very bad side effect). Not knowing when AI will fabricate a fact pattern gives me great concern that AI will fabricate a glucose reading and then act on that hallucination. AI has great potential, but it's not ready yet.
    • 9 hours, 2 minutes ago
      kristina blake likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      I’m uncomfortable not knowing when and when it isn’t being used, but I’m not sure why really. A “singer” named Benny Rivers popped up in one of my feeds. I really liked the music, until I found out it was a total AI fabrication. Then I was uncomfortable. Why? I felt “taken”, like someone pulled a fast one on me, pulled the wool over my eyes. I liked the music less then. I didn’t like that I couldn’t find a tour date, things like that. But I was most uncomfortable not truly understanding why it made me uncomfortable. The music was still enjoyable.
    • 10 hours, 37 minutes ago
      Natalie Daley likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      Having recently dealt with ongoing tech issues involving our heat and electrical-use notifications for more than six months — and it’s still not fully resolved — I’m not always a fan of too much technology. That said, I am interested in advances like the Twist Insulin Pump potentially detecting scar tissue or helping with infusion-site issues. But then reality kicks in: taking devices off for MRIs, replacing failed equipment, and navigating Medicare when it’s primary insurance can become a nightmare of paperwork and delays. And honestly, AI in some call centers has been pretty frustrating. Sometimes it feels like no one can answer a real-world question anymore. I think we should tread lightly and make sure technology actually makes life easier for people living with T1D — especially older adults who already manage enough complexity every day. Some days I think about a less stress free life and going back to a syringe and insulin. over 45 years of doing that, and now 25+ of devices, I'm tired of the challenges in getting replacements, and scar tissue, and mail order supplies and on and on.
    • 10 hours, 38 minutes ago
      Natalie Daley likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      With all technical advancements there are good things and bad things. The bad things (unforseen consequences) could be deadly like Hallucinations for the user, getting over doses of insulin. So, carefully thought out guard rails need to be developed and thoroughly tested. A good thing must be the accumulation of scenarios that KSannie mentioned. However it can not be completely autonomous. The current accuracy of Dex G7 and other sensors introduce error in to the calculations. This is similar to "self driving cars." The Robo taxi experiments have shown the unusual events that could become dangerous. Either audible situation commands or textual inputs like "goin to bed" or "driving" or "exercising" may be required at the beginning for a new user. As an example, after wearing my smart watch for a year now, it recognizes exercising without me having to tell it I'm exercising. This drives a more advanced and improved user interface. The other perceivable advantage might be accumulating changes over time, such as sicknesses, weight gain or loss, or changes in activity. Changes in food intake might be difficult to overcome. Something like "Under my Fork" app. Personally, I would like to see a reminder to bolis before eating! With all that said, we do we need all that? Probably not. Evolution of modified closed loop control may eliminate the need for AI control. The reality may be somewhere in-between the two.
    • 10 hours, 40 minutes ago
      Natalie Daley likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      Sorry. I'm not sold on AI. I don't trust the people making it. There are too many reasons it could go wrong and be disasterous (just read the above comments). I'm not opposed to computers helping with things such as Control IQ, but when the computer starts doing the thinking, I think we've crossed the line. An aside: I've listened to AI music, and I think it sounds impersonal. It lacks a humanness. I don't find it pleasant to listen to. I've heard horror stories about AI being used by the military, with the end result being nuclear holocaust. I am a hard NO to AI. I gave it a "5".
    • 10 hours, 43 minutes ago
      Natalie Daley likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      I am comfortable using AI as a helpful tool, while fully cognizant of hallucinatory tendencies. If I may paraphrase a famous writer about a week ago analyzing universities (as well as AI): “the over-intellectualized nature of academic culture—the idea that all inquiry should be depersonalized, dispassionate, data-driven, objective. Being a good person is more about having the right emotions, perceptions, and intentions toward others in the concrete circumstances of life than it is about logic-chopping games and dry dissertations.” 𐚁
    • 11 hours, 48 minutes ago
      Kathy Hanavan likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      With all the deliberately misleading information out there, AI cannot discriminate. And, each patient is completely different in their rate of things like food digestion or insulin absorption. AI really is not up to this. And it cannot differentiate between highs due to stress of traveling, which go down as soon as I arrive, and highs due to illness, which can stay high for days, and gradually taper to normal at some variable rate. Once I was high due to illness, got better and then worse. I am afraid of getting too much insulin. It lasts 5 hours in the blood, including the basal amount. And the AI not being able to correct fast enough.
    • 11 hours, 48 minutes ago
      Kathy Hanavan likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      I believe that AI may very well become a great tool - but at this time it still makes too many errors for me to be confident in it.
    • 11 hours, 48 minutes ago
      Kathy Hanavan likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      I am comfortable using AI as a helpful tool, while fully cognizant of hallucinatory tendencies. If I may paraphrase a famous writer about a week ago analyzing universities (as well as AI): “the over-intellectualized nature of academic culture—the idea that all inquiry should be depersonalized, dispassionate, data-driven, objective. Being a good person is more about having the right emotions, perceptions, and intentions toward others in the concrete circumstances of life than it is about logic-chopping games and dry dissertations.” 𐚁
    • 12 hours, 26 minutes ago
      John Barbuto likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      Sorry. I'm not sold on AI. I don't trust the people making it. There are too many reasons it could go wrong and be disasterous (just read the above comments). I'm not opposed to computers helping with things such as Control IQ, but when the computer starts doing the thinking, I think we've crossed the line. An aside: I've listened to AI music, and I think it sounds impersonal. It lacks a humanness. I don't find it pleasant to listen to. I've heard horror stories about AI being used by the military, with the end result being nuclear holocaust. I am a hard NO to AI. I gave it a "5".
    • 12 hours, 27 minutes ago
      John Barbuto likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      With all the deliberately misleading information out there, AI cannot discriminate. And, each patient is completely different in their rate of things like food digestion or insulin absorption. AI really is not up to this. And it cannot differentiate between highs due to stress of traveling, which go down as soon as I arrive, and highs due to illness, which can stay high for days, and gradually taper to normal at some variable rate. Once I was high due to illness, got better and then worse. I am afraid of getting too much insulin. It lasts 5 hours in the blood, including the basal amount. And the AI not being able to correct fast enough.
    • 12 hours, 29 minutes ago
      John Barbuto likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      I believe that AI may very well become a great tool - but at this time it still makes too many errors for me to be confident in it.
    • 12 hours, 30 minutes ago
      John Barbuto likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      Here's my concern. I've used AI when meeting new clients to take notes of my meetings while I'm talking with the client. Ostensibly, this frees me up from having to jot down notes while talking - allowing me to give my full attention to the conversation. (Very good benefit of AI) Then, when reviewing the notes, AI literally fabricated scenarios that weren't discussed (AI Hallucinations are a very bad side effect). Not knowing when AI will fabricate a fact pattern gives me great concern that AI will fabricate a glucose reading and then act on that hallucination. AI has great potential, but it's not ready yet.
    • 12 hours, 31 minutes ago
      Mike S likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      Here's my concern. I've used AI when meeting new clients to take notes of my meetings while I'm talking with the client. Ostensibly, this frees me up from having to jot down notes while talking - allowing me to give my full attention to the conversation. (Very good benefit of AI) Then, when reviewing the notes, AI literally fabricated scenarios that weren't discussed (AI Hallucinations are a very bad side effect). Not knowing when AI will fabricate a fact pattern gives me great concern that AI will fabricate a glucose reading and then act on that hallucination. AI has great potential, but it's not ready yet.
    • 12 hours, 54 minutes ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      Do you have a management plan if you test positive for ketones? Please share more in the comments.
      Sure, if you can call it a plan to flush with liquids and take electrolytes and insulin as needed.
    • 12 hours, 54 minutes ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      Do you have a management plan if you test positive for ketones? Please share more in the comments.
      Inject. Inject. Inject. All other considerations are secondary, tertiary, or way down the list. Why would anyone ever rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic? Might as well strike up the band to play Nearer My God to Thee!. ☹
    • 12 hours, 55 minutes ago
      TEH likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      With all the deliberately misleading information out there, AI cannot discriminate. And, each patient is completely different in their rate of things like food digestion or insulin absorption. AI really is not up to this. And it cannot differentiate between highs due to stress of traveling, which go down as soon as I arrive, and highs due to illness, which can stay high for days, and gradually taper to normal at some variable rate. Once I was high due to illness, got better and then worse. I am afraid of getting too much insulin. It lasts 5 hours in the blood, including the basal amount. And the AI not being able to correct fast enough.
    • 12 hours, 56 minutes ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      Do you have a management plan if you test positive for ketones? Please share more in the comments.
      It would depend on the symptoms and vary.
    • 12 hours, 57 minutes ago
      TEH likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      I am comfortable using AI as a helpful tool, while fully cognizant of hallucinatory tendencies. If I may paraphrase a famous writer about a week ago analyzing universities (as well as AI): “the over-intellectualized nature of academic culture—the idea that all inquiry should be depersonalized, dispassionate, data-driven, objective. Being a good person is more about having the right emotions, perceptions, and intentions toward others in the concrete circumstances of life than it is about logic-chopping games and dry dissertations.” 𐚁
    • 12 hours, 57 minutes ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      With all the deliberately misleading information out there, AI cannot discriminate. And, each patient is completely different in their rate of things like food digestion or insulin absorption. AI really is not up to this. And it cannot differentiate between highs due to stress of traveling, which go down as soon as I arrive, and highs due to illness, which can stay high for days, and gradually taper to normal at some variable rate. Once I was high due to illness, got better and then worse. I am afraid of getting too much insulin. It lasts 5 hours in the blood, including the basal amount. And the AI not being able to correct fast enough.
    • 12 hours, 57 minutes ago
      TEH likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      2 It already is. But needs to be checked occasionally. I don't want a person inside me every five minutes.
    • 13 hours, 1 minute ago
      KCR likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      Here's my concern. I've used AI when meeting new clients to take notes of my meetings while I'm talking with the client. Ostensibly, this frees me up from having to jot down notes while talking - allowing me to give my full attention to the conversation. (Very good benefit of AI) Then, when reviewing the notes, AI literally fabricated scenarios that weren't discussed (AI Hallucinations are a very bad side effect). Not knowing when AI will fabricate a fact pattern gives me great concern that AI will fabricate a glucose reading and then act on that hallucination. AI has great potential, but it's not ready yet.
    • 13 hours, 6 minutes ago
      Lawrence S. likes your comment at
      How comfortable are you, on a scale of 1–5, with artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated into your diabetes technology?
      Here's my concern. I've used AI when meeting new clients to take notes of my meetings while I'm talking with the client. Ostensibly, this frees me up from having to jot down notes while talking - allowing me to give my full attention to the conversation. (Very good benefit of AI) Then, when reviewing the notes, AI literally fabricated scenarios that weren't discussed (AI Hallucinations are a very bad side effect). Not knowing when AI will fabricate a fact pattern gives me great concern that AI will fabricate a glucose reading and then act on that hallucination. AI has great potential, but it's not ready yet.
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    Have you ever seen a mental health provider with expertise in diabetes management?

    Home > LC Polls > Have you ever seen a mental health provider with expertise in diabetes management?
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    Sarah Howard

    Sarah Howard has worked in the diabetes research field ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Marketing Manager at T1D Exchange.

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    " At T1D Exchange, we’re proud to announce our Medical and Research Advisory Team — an accomplished group of leaders in endocrinology, research, and quality improvement. Together, they are redefining what’s possible in type 1 diabetes (T1D) care through rigorous data analysis, innovative research approaches, and real-world implementation. Their collective expertise is central to our mission of improving outcomes for all people living with T1D.  “We’re excited to be working with our advisors given their deep expertise across a broad range of areas in T1D,” said Dave Walton, CEO of T1D Exchange. “Their involvement magnifies our reach, knowledge, and impact. These advisors are shaping the future of diabetes care — driving innovation across research, clinical practice, and quality improvement.”    Meet the Medical & Research Advisory Team  The T1D Exchange Medical and Research Advisory Team brings together four leading endocrinologists, each offering a unique perspective and shared commitment to advancing T1D care:    Jenise Wong, MD, PhD Pediatric endocrinologist at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco Focus areas: Diabetes technology adoption and usability; health equity and access to care and technology; community-based and peer-support interventions; culturally responsive care          Jennifer Sherr, MD, PhD Pediatric endocrinologist at Yale Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut Focus areas: Clinical trials in diabetes technology (CGM and AID systems), disease-modifying treatments and immunotherapies, and emerging technologies and medications, including continuous ketone monitoring and nasal glucagon     Viral Shah, MD Adult endocrinologist at Indiana University Health and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana Focus areas: Diabetes technology and adjunctive therapy trials; translational and data-driven research; T1D complications and bone health         Nestoras Mathioudakis, MD, MHS Adult endocrinologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland Focus areas: AI-driven clinical support tools; EMR-based data analytics for clinical decision making; data-driven quality improvement; health equity in T1D care        This accomplished team’s expertise spans adult and pediatric endocrinology, research, and quality improvement affiliated with leading institutions nationwide. Collectively, they have authored over 500 diabetes publications and secured research funding from organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, Helmsley Charitable Trust, the American Diabetes Association, and Breakthrough T1D — while remaining actively engaged in both clinical care and research.  “These individuals represent an impressive body of work while remaining deeply involved in the day-to-day realities of diabetes care,” said Walton. Their expertise covers the full spectrum of T1D care — from AI and predictive analytics to complication prevention, automated insulin delivery, continuous glucose and ketone monitoring, GLP-1 treatments, health equity, mental health, autoantibody screening, and disease prevention.    Turning insight into impact  The team’s work goes beyond research, focusing on translating insights into real-world practice. By leveraging data to scale best practices, the goal is to drive meaningful, measurable change across clinics and communities.  “Our advisors will help to extend our impact — whether through QI strategy, research innovation, funding opportunities, or new data-driven solutions,” said Walton. “We want to take what’s working at individual centers and spread that as broadly as possible.”   He added, “As a Collaborative, we’re also focused on advanced population health strategies such as exploring predictive data models to identify risks earlier and intervene before complications even begin to happen.”    The power of the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative  Central to this work is the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative (T1DX-QI) — a nationwide network of clinics working together to improve care through shared data, benchmarking, and evidence-based practices.  “I’m thrilled to serve as a Medical Advisor for T1D Exchange, because I’ve seen firsthand the impact this network can have on patient care,” said Dr. Nestoras Mathioudakis. “T1D Exchange is the premier organization for quality improvement in type 1 diabetes, with unparalleled assets like a large EHR database and robust patient registry.”  He added that he is excited to apply his expertise in EHR research and big data analytics to generate real-world evidence across diagnosis, management, and outcomes.  Dr. Viral Shah echoed that perspective, reflecting on T1DX-QI's evolution: “I have been involved with T1D Exchange since its early days and have had the privilege of witnessing how it has transformed the quality of diabetes care across the United States. I’m delighted to return as a Medical Advisor.”  He emphasized the importance of accelerating impact. “I look forward to working closely with the team to accelerate the evidence generation and to help translate these insights to improve patient care.”   Dr. Jenise Wong highlighted the visible impact of T1DX-QI on the delivery of care. "I’m truly honored and grateful to be working with T1D Exchange as a Medical Advisor. T1DX-QI is a remarkable resource for centers that are using continuous process improvement to improve the quality of care for people living with diabetes.”  “Diabetes centers working with T1DX –QI have done amazing work using QI methodology to make care accessible and equitable for all people with diabetes,” she said. “It’s inspiring to be a part of a collaborative in which centers have been creative and thoughtful with initiatives to address individual and systemic challenges to care, improving clinical outcomes as well as the patient experience."  Looking ahead, Dr. Sherr highlighted the opportunity to build on the existing strong foundation. “I’m very excited to be working as a Medical Advisor for T1D Exchange,” she said. “It’s a privilege to help shape what comes next for a group that’s already doing such impactful work.”  “Sharing what’s happening in clinical practice, benchmarking across centers, and understanding outcomes is how we figure out what’s working, what’s not, and where we go next,” she said.      The future of T1D care   With this team’s vision and expertise, T1D Exchange is positioned to accelerate progress in T1D care — bridging research and real-world practice to drive meaningful, measurable impact.  Together, we look forward to advancing innovation and improving outcomes for everyone affected by type 1 diabetes.   "

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    25 Comments

    1. Natalie Daley

      I’ve seen the head of endocrinology for over 25 years and didn’t know such a specialist existed. I guess I didn’t need to know?

      1
      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    2. Mary Dexter

      She was horrible. Said she understood what it was like to have diabetes because she has to wait behind others in the grocery store checkout and drive behind other cars on the beltline. Her advice to dealing with the stress was lunch and shopping with girlfriends. She’s now counseling cancer patients instead, probably with the same lack of empathy.

      2
      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    3. Patricia Dalrymple

      I have never but I support everyone who has. I have strong support from my husband and it is very important to not be alone with this disease if you can. I’m probably not even aware of how much it affects my mind. My heart goes out to anyone who has a chronic illness. Not easy living with it, but beats the alternative. Stay strong and well T1Ds.

      1
      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    4. Randi Niemer

      I’m not sure he was an expert but he certainly had experience and knowledge working with peeps who had diabetes. One day a week he would be available to be seen in the Diabetes’s Care Clinic for those who needed that.

      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    5. ConnieT1D62

      HAH!!! And where does an everyday PWD find such an expert???

      As a RN, CDE I have heard a few (and that is very few) mental health experts speak about treating diabetes distress snd related psycho-emotional self-care issues at professional conferences. However rare, they are out there usually in bigger East Coast and West Coast locations. A reliable source is the Behavioral Diabetes Institute in San Diego headed up by PhD psychologists Dr Bill Polansky and Susan and Guzman. See http://www.behavioraldiabetes.org . They are affiliated with http://www.TCOYD.org and Drs. Edelman and Pettus have a lot to say about the ups and downs of dealing with T1D since they both live with it themselves.

      7
      5 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. ConnieT1D62

        Agh! Was unable to fix the typo “and” between Dr. Susan Guzman’s name.

        5 years ago Log in to Reply
      2. KarenM6

        Hi ConnieT1D62!
        I totally agree that the BDI and Drs Edelman and Pettus are great resources! Thank you for putting the link in! 😀

        5 years ago Log in to Reply
    6. connie ker

      When I was first diagnosed with LADA on insulin, I saw a mental health counselor. My husband was a juvenile T1D and I was concerned about the safety of our upcoming spring vacation car trip. After expressing my concerns, she had my husband return with me and we had a discussion about the fears I carried inside. Now I am a widow living alone and my saving grace has been the Abbott Freestyle Libre with a reader. ( The news this week has me terribly upset, and we all should be thinking of those americans, comerads, women, children and all those hostages in enemy territory. )

      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    7. Anita Galliher

      I have not seen a mental health advisor, but I’ve been going to a wonderful Endo and CDE for about 15 years now. The Endo is very supportive and offers great advice, and the CDE has had T1D for nearly as long as I have (58 years for me), so she knows the frustration and depression that can ensue from it. My husband is very supportive as well. The rest of my family is supportive, but not nearly as informed, or willing to be informed, as I would like. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

      1
      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    8. BustedPancreas

      YES! I had undiagnosed depression when I was 11 (I mean… what 11-year old has anything to be sad about, right?!). My Mom wanted me to speak with a pro about my troubles and I said, “Sure, but it has to be a woman and she has to be a T1.” My Mom took on the impossible challenge (keep in mind this is pre-Google) and found a wonderful lady therapist with T1 in about a month. She specialized in marriage counseling, but offered me a 1-time session. That 1-time visit turned into years of sessions as she was the only person in my life that truly understood what my life entailed. She truly saved my life.

      7
      5 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. Joan McGinnis

        I saw a psychologist who understood diabetes very well with situational depression twice. Helps immensely and u think I am better for it. There are psychologists I know of in st. Louis who have expertise with diabetes.

        1
        5 years ago Log in to Reply
      2. Chris Deutsch

        Great story, Busted Pancreas, how amazing that your Mom found someone with the right “credentials” for young you!! I think there must be few mental health providers who have expertise in DM management, few outside of large specialty clinics like the Joslin Center.
        But when searching, we could cast a bigger net to round up counselors with expertise in chronic disease management. And those professionals ought to advertise their availability better!

        5 years ago Log in to Reply
    9. BOB FISK

      Yes, but a long, long time ago, in 1980. This was in one of the first home glucose monitoring programs.

      1
      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    10. Bob Durstenfeld

      I said no, but there have been times when I wished I had access to a mental health pro.

      1
      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    11. Ceara Glasgow

      Honestly if I could find one that specifically worked with type 1 I would try it but specializing in diabetes usually means type 2 and a little bit of knowledge about type one… in my experience doctors (even when they say they understand the differences they don’t seem to know much about type 1.

      3
      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    12. Sue Martin

      I have not but with that said my father was a medical doctor, who initially diagnosed me with T1. He was my go-to resource for both medical issues as well as how to balance my life. For some things, he would say, go talk to your doctor. I had a great Eno but she recently retired.
      I also have a friend who calls themselves a Chocolate therapist. Bring chocolate and tell me your troubles. It all helps. I don’t think I would trust someone who I’d have to pay to listen to me.

      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    13. Francisco Varea

      I wish I had access to one. There is none where I live as far as I know.

      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    14. betsy valian

      I also think that would be a tough person to locate.

      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    15. NAK Marshall

      Not a therapist with type1 expertise, but I have seen 3 therapists throughout my 61 years type 1 and each was an amazing person who helped me get beyond the current issue I was having at the time mentally dealing with having type 1. Actually the best therapy I ever had was having my son 36 years ago & daughter 32 years ago because they took my attention and filled my heart and brain and left little time to obsess about other things. I got my first meter 2 years before his birth and it was a life changer!

      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    16. KarenM6

      I have used one who specialized in diabetes AND was type 1 himself. We did our appointments on a video basis… don’t think it was Zoom, but something like that.
      It was helpful. And, being that it was over video, I’m sure anyone (within a reasonable time zone variable) could use him…
      Am I allowed to put his name here? I will if someone tells me I can… Because if there are people who are interested…
      I can tell you, I think, that I found him through BDI (Behavioral Diabetes Institute)… this organization is in California, USA.

      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    17. Kevin McCue

      That’s a thing? I need to brush up on my psychology fields. Haven’t heard of this sub field for mental health.

      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    18. Wanacure

      My first endocrinologist had an excellent understanding of my teenage psychology. He helped me with the diabetes and my mental health. I’m also very appreciative of the non diabetic psychiatrists, and psychiatric social workers I’ve known both socially on a casual basis as well some I’ve paid to see when I was “stuck” in depression. And I’ve read many helpful articles & books: Freud, Menninger, Horney, Misildine (?), Albert Ellis, etc. I minored in psych in college. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Rational Emotive Therapy have books with suggested written exercises. Physical exercise, being in nature, meditation, yoga, support groups have all helped me cope. I think I’ve known only one counselor who was also T1D. Yes, he was helpful, but so have all the rest.

      5 years ago Log in to Reply
    19. Bill Marston

      Based on the above response results it looks like less than 10% of us have sought psychoemotional support in this way. That seems pretty positive to me. However I have to bet a greater percentage of us have used counseling in general, perhaps not realizing that there are SOME indeterminate number which have expertise in the distinctly unique nature of the T1D management’s challenges – simultaneously hour-to-hour and over a lifetime. I hope T1Dexchange can use its resources (including this question) to build up a clinical consensus on the importance of building up this specific field as a resource for users and providers alike.

      P.S. in my case, I pushed my endocrinologist to help me find a way to distinguish between the way I felt in that hour or more of a declining BG and the identical symptoms of chronic depressive episode. Before the existence of CGM, during my years of Hypoglycemia Unawareness (without even knowing that there was such a clinically recognized condition), and thinking that I had the longstanding depression reasonably under control, I had come to realize that these were two independent, but sometimes overlapping, symptoms. I’d found myself scrambling for a glucose tab or the like when it was better served (had I known) by some relaxation meditative calming & looking at “what really is” rather than “what we feel/think it is” – in the CBT cognitive behavioral model.

      My endo sought among his big city med school multi-disciplinary resources and provided me some names. I briefly interviewed them and chose one and satisfactorily TREATED MY DEPRESSION sufficiently to remove the anxiety, confusion and thereby a good bit of the resulting dysfunctionality.

      1
      5 years ago Log in to Reply
      1. Chris Deutsch

        Reply to Bill Marston: Thanks for the good reply, bravo for the successful result of your search. I find the two conditions frequently interact… or coincide.

        5 years ago Log in to Reply
    20. Chris Deutsch

      Only once, as required by the endocrinology office when I first started wearing a pump 20? years ago. But I have seen several CDE’s who have great interpersonal skills besides their training in the emotional aspects of T1D.

      5 years ago Log in to Reply

    Have you ever seen a mental health provider with expertise in diabetes management? Cancel reply

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