Is There an Insulin Stigma?
Insulin for type 2 diabetes can keep you healthy when other measures fail. Still, some people are reluctant or ashamed to take it. Learn why, and how to overcome these feelings.
If you’re embarrassed about needing
insulin for type 2 diabetes or worried about how others will perceive you,
you’re not alone. It's an attitude shared by many people facing the prospect of
daily insulin injections — injections that may just save your life.
By keeping your blood sugar at a
healthy level, insulin therapy can stop type 2 diabetes from ravaging your body
when other drugs and lifestyle changes have failed. But despite the potentially
lifesaving benefits, researchers have found that many people with type 2
diabetes would prefer not to take insulin due to what’s called “psychological
In a German study published in 2013, 82 percent of
participants rejected insulin as a possible treatment choice even though most
of them considered themselves to be proactive in taking care of their diabetes. Having this kind of
negative attitude isn’t uncommon among people with type 2 diabetes, says
Supneet Saluja, MD, an endocrinologist at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. “People
who use insulin feel as if they’re now on the highest level of therapy for
their diabetes,” Dr. Saluja says. “There’s a sense of failure and shame, as if
they’ve let themselves down.”
There are many emotions connected to
the so-called insulin stigma. While some blame themselves for the need to start
insulin therapy and think of it as a last-resort treatment, others are fearful
about having to give themselves injections. Many people feel socially
stigmatized because of the strong association of type 2 diabetes with obesity
and the burden of having to limit their diets. Ironically enough, a literature review
published in the journal Patient in 2013 found that most people who don't have
diabetes don't view it as a stigmatized illness.
to Have a More Positive View of Insulin Therapy
Not all people with type 2 diabetes feel
there’s a stigma attached to taking insulin. When Carol Gee, a writer in
Atlanta, was first diagnosed, she ended up in the hospital with extremely high
blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Today, Gee is able to control her diabetes with
other medications, but for the first six weeks after her diagnosis, she had to
take injectable insulin. She never felt any embarrassment about her medical
needs, she says.
“I immediately told my co-workers
what was going on with me, and they were very supportive,” Gee says. “I worked
at a university, and one of the professors I worked with would even ask, ‘Did
you remember to take your shot?’”
In fact, the insulin was a welcome
relief to Gee because it made her feel so much better. “I was very ill, and my
blood sugar was so high they told me I could’ve gone into a coma,” she says.
“At that point, if they’d have told me I had to take shots 10 times a day, I
would have done it.”
If your doctor decides you need
insulin therapy to manage your diabetes, don’t put it off. People who don’t
take insulin when they should can experience a number of potentially serious complications,
including vision problems, nerve damage, kidney disease, and amputations. “The
repercussions can be very serious,” Saluja says. “The sooner a person with
diabetes realizes that, the better.”
And newer products on the market make taking insulin easier and less noticeable. For
instance, disposable insulin pens eliminate the need for a syringe and vial.
Above all, there's no reason to feel a sense of failure
if you need to start taking insulin, Saluja says. Type 2 diabetes usually
evolves over time to the point where insulin becomes necessary, even for those
who are good at self-management, because the pancreas just isn’t able to keep
up long-term. Think of insulin therapy as the way to make up the difference.
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