"Treatment resistant" vs. "chronic" depression ?
Q.Can anyone tell me where I might find a good definition of treatment resistant depression (TRD)? I've had 4 major depressive episodes in as many years. Each has responded individually to treatment, but always relapses after 6-8 months of remission.
A.Does/did anyone here experience any kind of anxiety (generalized anxiety, social anxiety, phobias) or depression in relation to their diabetes/blood sugar levels? I've read some studies that have said people with diabetes have higher cases of generalized anxiety disorder, depression and other psychiatric illnesses. I would like to hear from experiences of any of you who have had first hand experience with these issues and did they get better when you managed your blood sugar levels properly? My father is also a Type-2 diabetic but I'm not sure how long I have been like this, it might have been there all throughout my childhood, as I am 19 now. However, a year and a half ago my blood sugar was 5.5 fasting in the morning which is perfect. I suspect that they have gone sky high because I have gained a lot of weight in the last year and a half especially in my mid-section. I have suffered from anxiety all my life and my dad is that way and both my daughters . I am 64 and have had T-1 diabetes since 1971, and celiac disease since 1996. I have two other autoimmune diseases as well. I am the only one in my family with diabetes. I came back from Thailand with infectious hepatitis. I wound up in the Ft Dix Army hospital in 1966 because my wife is from NJ. The Army insisted that my parents come in for testing as I had stated that, "My dad and I often got weak or shaky spells while working in the fields. I dont know about anxiety but certainly depression can be brought about by having numbers that are too high. When I was younger it was called sugar blues. Now it is called diabetes. Anxiety is a different condition of nervousness and panic so I dont know if it is related. Perhaps someone with better knowledge than I can answer your quesiton. I don't know either if it is related but I am being treated for panic/anxiety too and I only started being like this when I became diabetic. I have it so bad that I can't lay down. I sleep in a recliner. Apart from that, very high or low bg levels can affect mental and emotional balance. Too low can cause disorientation, aggression, and temporarily impaired cognition. Too high can cause depression and apathy. Other mood or mental functions may also be disturbed, even when the bg is not as severely imbalanced. So yes, poorly controlled diabetes CAN cause these conditions, or can be caused by a related condition. If the diabetes is chronically uncontrolled, then the conditions may also seem to be chronic. Yet many experience a great improvement once they are able to lower their bg levels and maintain good control. Of course, some conditions are actually being caused by some other totally unrelated problem, so there are no guarantees. But certainly many find peace and tranquility return once they gain good management of their bg levels. Personally, that's what happened to me. I suffered from chronic depression for many years. Once I gained pretty close to non-diabetic levels though, the depression just faded away! It was quite extraordinary. So the high bg levels all the time was at the root of MY depression, in that case.
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