Diabetes can be a difficult and demanding disease for individuals to manage. The behavioral and emotional burden of this chronic disease and its management can often lead to diabetes distress, which is a common problem affecting adults and adolescents. Did you know May is mental health awareness month? It’s a good time to do a mental health check and become familiar with support resources – here are a few we would suggest:

1. Anthony Vesco, pediatric psychologist at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, hosted a breakout session at our Type One Nation Summit last fall. View a video of his session “Identifying & Coping with Distress & Depression in Type 1 Diabetes.”
2. CARE Counseling is committed to Creating a Community to Strengthen the Community. Motivational Interviewing is one of the most effective ways to decrease ambivalence in clients suffering from long-term illness and the incredible burden associated with it. Many of these skills focus on simple bite-size steps that will begin building self-esteem and feelings of hope. Click here to learn four easy motivational interviewing skills to help your child with T1D management.
3. Traverse Counseling & Consulting offers a 90 minute Type 1 Tune-Up for parents of children and adolescents. Working one-on-one with a mental health provider, parents will share their concerns and work to construct a plan to develop healthy relationships within the family as well as strategies for coping with the stresses of diabetes management.
4. You are not alone. Breakthrough T1D’s typeonenation community forum offers connection with adults and families living with T1D across the world. We also offer personalized support through our T1D Connections Program. Our trained outreach volunteers provide emotional and resource support for both adults and families by sharing their personal experience with T1D and offering connections to events, programs and others in our local T1D community.