Henri Ng-Wan was in his thirties when he received a shocking diagnosis – he had type 1 diabetes (T1D). Although still often misconceived as a childhood disease, the reality is that over 70 per cent of diagnoses in Canada are in adults.
Learning you have a chronic disease at any age is challenging, but particularly so with T1D, a relentless autoimmune disease that requires constant vigilance, essentially replacing the function of your pancreas through external insulin administration. And even with careful management, T1D comes with long-term risks of complications like sexual dysfunction, kidney failure, blindness or early death.
Having diabetes is also associated with an increased risk of mental health conditions including anxiety, depression and eating disorders, as well as “diabetes distress”, a clinical term that refers to the negative emotions that can come with the burden of diabetes self-management.
For Henri, and other men with living with T1D , this chronic disease comes with choices such as deciding when and how to disclose their condition at work – which can be heavily shaped by workplace culture, perceived stigma, and concerns about being treated differently or misunderstood, impacting potential career progression.
Consequently, some men may wait to disclose their diagnosis to only a few trusted people, or when it becomes absolutely necessary, such as after a T1D-related health issue that requires medical attention. This can be especially true if there’s a fear that chronic illness may be wrongly seen as a weakness or reducing capability.
And even after disclosure, men living with T1D may encounter well-meaning but incorrect comments—such as being told to ‘just watch your sugar’, ‘eat better and exercise more’ or reassurances that they’ll be ‘fine’—which while said with good intent, results in minimizing the seriousness of managing an autoimmune disease whose cause has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle choices. This only compounds the mental exhaustion.
Men are less likely than women to seek mental health support, and studies have shown that poor mental health is associated with higher blood glucose levels and lower overall health outcomes in people with T1D. Breakthrough T1DTM offers a training program for registered mental health providers to learn about how to support people living with diabetes, and they can then be added to a national directory where people can book them for counselling and therapy.
“When I received my diagnosis, I remember struggling to accept my new reality. After a few months, I mustered the courage to ask my endocrinologist for a referral, and although she wanted to help, she couldn’t provide one because she was also having difficulty finding mental health specialists for other patients. The directory addresses the needs of our community and is the missing tool for healthcare professionals,” says Henri.
Men’s health and wellness can often go unaddressed due to fears of being seen as ‘weak’ or ‘incapable’, and this can be even more so when living with T1D. Acknowledging that mental health matters as much as physical is the first step on a path to better well-being and overall health.
To learn more about Breakthrough T1D’s mental health strategy and to access additional resources please visit: https://breakthrought1d.ca/mental-health-support/.