Introduction
Diabetes Prevention Programs should not only consider physical health, when caring for those with Pre-Diabetes, but also mental health. Recent findings on the relationship between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Type-2 Diabetes (T2D) show the necessity of a more three-dimensional approach to preventative treatment.
Concerning the Connection Between PTSD and Type-2 Diabetes in Women
As stated in Yumlish’s previous blog, “The Signs of High Blood Pressure,” one of the risk factors of high blood-pressure is trauma, however, recent studies show that trauma has other effects, as well, on the victim’s physical health. From a 22-year long cross-sectional study, a strong, causal relationship was found between PTSD and T2D, particularly in women. The study concluded that women, who had experienced the most amount of PTSD in their study, had a nearly, “2-fold increased risk of T2D over follow-up than women with no trauma exposure”.
Traumatic Events Endured by Women
These results are particularly troubling, considering that, according to the National Center for PTSD, “more than half of all women will be exposed to at least one traumatic event in their lifetime”; and that this preponderance is due to the fact that, “women are typically exposed to more interpersonal and high-impact trauma, such as sexual assault, than men, and at a younger age”. Additionally, events of this kind can interfere with the “neurobiological development and personality,” of the victim.
Relationship in Regards to Men
The relationship between PTSD and T2D is not only troubling for women, as shown in a prospective study, published in 2014, where they took male twin pairs who served in all branches of the military during the Vietnam Era (1964-1975) as their sample. The study then looked at those who experienced trauma, those who did not, and those who developed T2D. PTSD was, the results show, “prospectively associated with a 40% increased risk of new-onset Type-2 Diabetes.” As Karestan Koenen, PhD, adjunct associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health, says, “PTSD is not just a mental health issue”.
Conclusion
With PTSD influencing the use of antidepressants, Body-Mass Index (BMI), and eventually T2D, its significance in influencing how we understand treating and preventing chronic conditions, like Type-2 Diabetes, is paramount. Chronic conditions do not have the same origins. Therefore, Diabetes Prevention Programs must be malleable to the member’s background, like the program here at Yumlish.