Many studies on the causes of diabetes converge on several possible factors: heredity, features of the immune system, consequence after a viral illness, etc. Along with these reasons, stress is of primary significance. Quite a few people, talking about the events preceding the diagnosis, talk about emotional upheavals or a situation with a strong fright. So, is it possible to “earn diabetes” due to prolonged nervous strain?
Psychosomatic medicine is a very unusual young direction. In this branch of medicine, scientists are studying the influence of psychological factors on the occurrence and course of bodily diseases.
The link between diabetes and emotional distress was noticed in 1674 by British medical scientist Thomas Willis, who wrote that diabetes is often preceded by “prolonged grief”. Russian psychiatrist S.S. Korsakov was of the opinion that diabetes is a nervous disease. And in 1935, the American psychiatrist Karl Menninger introduced the concept of “stock market diabetes.” Based on observations of the onset of diabetes in people in financial professions after the fall of prices on the Chicago Stock Exchange in the 30s, last century.
It was found that in 4% of patients with diabetes, the diagnosis was preceded by psychological trauma.
In the 20th century, many medical researchers studied the relationship between diabetes and emotional experience. It was found that in 4% of patients with diabetes, the diagnosis was preceded by psychological trauma (there were patients in the sample who had less than 1.5 months elapsed between the event of emotional distress and the detection of diabetes). Other observations have revealed a relationship between prolonged emotional stress and diabetes in 33% of people with newly diagnosed diabetes.
The role of psychogenic factors in the onset of diabetes can be traced, but it is not possible to fully understand the mechanism of action. The main question that scientists are now answering: does stress cause diabetes mellitus or becomes a starting point in starting an immunological abnormality to which the patient was predisposed from birth?
The role of psychogenic factors in the onset of diabetes can be traced, but it is not possible to fully understand the mechanism of action.
Any domestic situation can become a stress factor: problems in the family, relocation, problems at school / at work, etc.
By the way, emotional experiences also affect the quality of diabetic control. Most often, doctors attribute this to the release of hormones. For example, in a dangerous situation, adrenaline, which is a counter hormone, enters the bloodstream. As a result, the level of glycemia increases significantly, and a very large dose of insulin is required to achieve normoglycemia.