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" Modern treatment for type 1 and type 2 diabetes makes it possible to live a near normal life, but this doesn&amp;#039;t mean the going is always easy.  Diabetes doesn&amp;#039;t just affect your lifestyle, but can have an impact on your emotions, relationships, work and hobbies. Mood and diabetes  It&amp;#039;s known that mood changes and depressive illnesses are more common in people who have a long-term medical condition than in people who are well. There is evidence that some illnesses directly affect the parts of the brain and the chemical systems that control our mood and behaviour.  For example, endocrine conditions interact with the chemical systems governing mood. However, the psychological and social impact of an illness is also important. Suddenly being dependent on insulin injections or having to take care about what you eat and drink can lead to a number of consequences.  You may feel as if you&amp;#039;ve lost control, or have to change your lifestyle and give up certain hobbies. At the same time, these changes can affect your self-esteem and your roles at home and work may be changed, too.  These factors can all contribute to the development of depression or anxiety. If it&amp;#039;s difficulty in coming to terms with diabetes that&amp;#039;s causing anxiety or depression, these feelings should fade as you learn more about the condition and how to deal with it. Just as a loss of control can cause anxiety, regaining control will give you back your confidence. But it may be you need to talk to your GP and get treatment \u2013 don&amp;#039;t be afraid to ask for help. Medicines for depression and anxiety won&amp;#039;t affect your diabetes. Term watch Endocrine: of or relating to hormones that are secreted directly into the blood.\u00A0Problems with the hormone insulin is what causes diabetes.  Relationships and family life There&amp;#039;s no doubt that diabetes has an impact on family life.   For young people and adolescents, the normal sorts of conflict that accompany growing up may become magnified, with diabetes becoming a source of strife in the family. For adults, it&amp;#039;s often a lack of information that drives the concerns a partner may have about your diabetes.   It&amp;#039;s easier to live with diabetes if a universal approach is taken to all aspects of diet, exercise and lifestyle. But a compromise needs to be reached with how these changes fit in with the rest of the family. As most of us could do with taking stock of our lifestyles, with a bit of diplomatic handling the appearance of diabetes in one family member could be the catalyst for everyone trying to get themselves a bit fitter. The expertise of the local specialist diabetes team and going on one of the NHS approved educational courses on diabetes can help make the necessary life changes that much easier. Long-standing diabetes can affect the physical side of a relationship. Men who have diabetes are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction (impotence).  Erectile dysfunction (ED) is more easily treated than it was a few years ago.  Oral medications known as selective phosphodiesterase inhibitors (PDE-5 inhibitors), such as sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis) or vardenafil (Levitra) work in up to 80 per cent of cases.  Although men don&amp;#039;t find it easy to talk about ED, most wonder what they were worried about once they get over the first hurdle of mentioning it to their GP. Work  For safety reasons, there are some occupations that are incompatible with type 1 diabetes and insulin injections:  professional diving flying aeroplanes driving articulated lorries and buses is now permitted but the conditions for holding such a licence remain quite strict.  But for most people, diabetes doesn&amp;#039;t make any difference to their ability to do their job. Many myths and prejudices surround diabetes in the workplace. With proper control of blood sugar, someone with diabetes can work the same hours, on shifts and as physically hard as the next person. In reality there are still many uninformed people, including employers, who may shy away from employing someone with diabetes or try to make it difficult for you to continue in your role.  To avoid such problems, you may be tempted to conceal your condition from colleagues. But if you are open about your diabetes, you can at least make sure your colleagues know what to do if you have a hypo at work.  If you experience unfair treatment because of diabetes, you may need to take the advice of your union, local Citizens Advice Bureau or lawyer.  Driving If diabetes is treated by diet alone or with tablets, you don&amp;#039;t need to inform DVLA unless you develop relevant problems such as failing eyesight \u2013 which applies to everyone who drives anyway.  If you are on tablets and don&amp;#039;t have awareness of your hypos, then there are specific conditions for holding a licence.  A consultant in diabetes will have to assess your fitness to hold a licence.  If you need to take tablets you will need to inform DVLA if you wish to hold certain types of group 2 licence.  If you need insulin injections to control diabetes you must inform DVLA who will ask you for more details. If necessary, DVLA will also contact your GP and request a report from your consultant in diabetes.  Informing DVLA is a legal requirement. If you have an accident and it transpires that your diabetes is undeclared, you will probably find yourself without insurance. In some circumstances, such as frequent hypo attacks or a lack of awareness of hypos, DVLA can decide to stop you driving. This can be a temporary or permanent measure, depending on your situation. Professional drivers (group 2) Professional drivers (group 2 licence holders) are governed by stricter rules, which were revised in 2011.  In essence, drivers of heavy goods or public service vehicles who develop Type 1 diabetes requiring insulin can apply for vocational licences and require detailed assessment by a diabetes specialist who reports to DVLA who then decide if a licence will be granted.  This does not affect eligibility to drive as per group 1 drivers. The rules and regulations are more complex now; all are available on the DVLA website. Sports and activities  You can have diabetes and still win gold medals at the Olympics. This may sound extreme, but diabetes and an active lifestyle are compatible. With sports, the main hazard is the consequence of having a hypo. Most of the time you can avoid the risk of a hypo by:   adjusting your diet and treatment, especially insulin dose and timing. ensuring those around you know what to look out for if you are hypoglycaemic  ensuring others know what to do if you get into difficulty with hypoglycaemia.  Some sports, such as skydiving and scuba diving, put you at a much greater personal risk should a hypo occur. Specific advice on these sports is provided by the relevant governing body. If unsure always seek advice from your diabetes specialist team. Travel  Foreign travel across time zones or to countries where medical supplies are unreliable can pose particular problems if you have type 1 diabetes.  If you&amp;#039;re planning a trip far afield, your diabetes clinic can give you appropriate advice. The main issues are meal and insulin dosing when travelling, and ensuring you take all the supplies you need before setting off. Pharmaceutical companies are international and insulin treatment is available in most parts of the world.  If you are going somewhere really out of the way, check first. Insulin is inactivated if frozen, so you should take it in your hand luggage.  You should carry oral glucose as usual for emergencies and must have clear identification of your need for insulin treatment and ensure you have permission to carry needles, glucose and all your diabetes &amp;#039;kit&amp;#039; with you in your hand luggage.  You must avoid packing insulin in hold luggage as the freezing temperature may render it inactive.  Do seek guidance from your diabetes team before long distance travel. Travel sickness causes extra problems with all types of diabetes, because vomiting can lead to hypoglycaemia. If you know you suffer, take an anti-emetic beforehand. Make sure your travel insurance is comprehensive and covers you for any diabetes-related conditions \u2013 many policies exclude pre-existing medical conditions. Having diabetes does not influence what vaccinations you need \u2013 these are dictated by the country you&amp;#039;re visiting.  To find out what vaccinations are required, get advice from your GP or pharmacist. When you are on holiday, the normal rules about blood sugar levels apply. So be aware of any changes to your activity levels \u2013 whether you do more or less \u2013 and adjust your treatment accordingly.  Other people also read: Type 1 diabetes (insulin-dependent diabetes): what are the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes? Type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent diabetes): Type 2 diabetes is strongly associated with being overweight, but it&amp;#039;s less clear what causes it, compared to the Type 1 disease.  Based on a text by Dr Dan Rutherford, GP  Last updated 17.03.2015 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/conditions/diabetes/a848/living-with-diabetes/>