A while ago, I was talking to a counselor at school. She mentioned that she had been to some training and learned that Diabetics, along with some other groups of people, were likely to be more aggressive and be self-destructive. I was supposedly an example... I didn't know how to feel.
Has anyone else ever heard this? I mean, I guess we have reason to be a little more angsty in life, but I don't think we actually are...
I was just thinking about this for the millionth time, tell me what you guys think.
I've never heard of this, certainly is a rather large leap from being a diabetic to being aggressive and self-destructive. I have learned recently that apparently diabetes is treated as a disability in some schools.
I've never heard the part about being dangerous... I have heard, actually read it once when I was still really little, that t1 diabetics are at a higher risk for being over weight (?) so that's always set me up to be freaked about that for life lol
Some people can be aggressive and self-destructive if they are depressed. If she means that diabetes can cause depression yea, people that have diabetes can be more prone to depression because umm it is a chronic illness. To say we are aggressive and self-destructive that is a bit extreme and to be honest it feels like she is profiling you just because you have diabetes. Don't listen to her because she took some class and thinks she knows everything there is to know about having diabetes. She has no clue. Its also discrimination in my opinion if shes using you as an example.
I don't know about the agressive thing, but I could see where someone might think our 8 year old son was dangerous. We went a restaurant last week for an emergency lunch (drat those pre-lunch drops!). I tested him and drew his dose at the table, then sent him to the restroom to inject. I look up a few minutes later, and he's running through the restaurant with the exposed, used needle in his hand. I about died of mortification. We need to work on the D-etiquette :)
Aggressive? No, I don't believe it for a second. I have seen some that are self destructive because they are not managing their disease properly but that goes for anyone else who has a chronic condition. As Gina mentioned depression could have something to do with that. Was she lumping T2's in there too? I know a ton of T2's that just don't care. Having said that, I believe that T1's have a propensity to be more compassionate and caring. We've had experiences through our lives that help us understand others. How many T1s are there in the US now - 2 million? Anyone on here ever been surveyed or studied for this group of people the counselor was refering to? I haven't. I wouldn't pay any attention to what she said. Just live your life as you see fit, manage the diabetes, and treat people as you want to be treated. You have nothing to prove to people like that.
The most dangerous we are is when our BS is high or low..when we are low we are in a sense drunk/high/wasted/ect...when its high we are more easily irratated so we become more aggresive but that lady is goin to extreme and alyssa don't think you got the joke paul was gettin too...that was good paul
Hmm, yea I think we CAN be dangerous when we're high or low, because we have terrible mood swings. Also, like Gina said, diabetes and depression can go hand in hand, and depression and self-destructive.
I really DO NOT like the way that lady worded that though
Aggression can be attributed to untreated hypoglycemia because the body reacts to the low blood glucose level by the production of
counter-regulatory hormones, mainly adrenalin and glucagon. These
hormones are the ‘fight and flight’ hormones that the body releases when
there is any danger. Hypoglycaemia is a danger and these hormones give
the warning symptoms of an impending hypo and trigger the release
glucose from the liver.
If
the mild hypo is not treated for any reason, then the blood glucose
drops further and the symptoms of this are less obvious to the person
with diabetes when the signs are usually:
·Confusion
·
Irritability
·Behavioral
changes such as aggression, excitement or violence
·Sensory
changes such as blurred vision
These symptoms are much hard to recognize and can be missed and so
remain untreated. This can lead to a severe hypo and unconsciousness.
These are the neuroglycopenic effects of hypoglycaemia because
the blood glucose level has dropped to lower levels and the brain is
starved of glucose. This results in reduced cognitive function with
confusion and behavioural changes. The person who is hypo may well say
that they are “definitely not hypo” but in reality this may be part of
the confusion caused by the neuroglycopenia. Research has shown that
brain function can be impaired when the blood glucose falls below
3.5mmols.(http://www.iddtinternational.org/healthissues/hypoglycaemia.htm)
If it makes you feel better you can print this off and give it to her. Tell her not to make a diagnosis off of information anyone can find on the internet.
It is alright to feel angry or indifferent, but it is really up to you. I'm glad you asked this question because her telling you this is very rude and misguided. It is not proper for a counselor to say this at all. What she said is called a blanket statement, like "all black people have rhythm" is discrimination and it is not right.
You'll find more people like this in the future, just stay informed and find out exactly were they read their info if they can't name the resource, they probably don't know what they are talking about.
In the 6th grade I was on a field trip and had a low blood sugar. My teachers freaked out. I was able to treat it fine but because it happened, they ended the field trip early for everyone and when we got back to school, I was forced to sit in the cafeteria by myself for the rest of the day with a supervisor. My teachers then decided that I was banded from all field trips because they didn't want to deal with me. They said I had no self-control, I was self-destructive and even contagious, and that I should be separated from the other students. Throughout the rest of the year, the teachers segregated me from other students and told them not to talk to me or interact with me. Eventually I told my parents and we talked to the school supervisors and teachers and there response was, "She's not my problem, it's not in my contract."
It's weird because we went to these same teachers before the school year even started and had given them "low boxes" and gave them a bunch of info but we didn't see how they really felt until this. Nothing happened except me leaving that school after that year but don't let other people's ignorance get you down.
Thats horrible...but you guys are right...many people are ignorant, dont let them bother you...
A girl I use to work with swore Diabetes was an STD she got from her hsband before they got married....Some people just don't think, you gotta remember that...
The ignorance of diabetes which your teachers and their supervisors demonstrated doesn't bother me half as much as either their insensitivity to your feelings as a child, or perhaps even worse, their outright cruelty towards you. Ignorance is excusable and can be ignored, but insensitivity or cruelty to a child is inexcusable and shameful, especially for teachers and school administrators.
I am so sorry that a person whose profession is to help people declared something so blatantly thoughtless and cruel to you. Just because a piece of paper says that a person is a counselor does NOT make that person able to replicate an entire life's experience.
And the only example you are of anything is what YOU decide to be. Don't let some fool of a person tell you what you are. YOU decide who you are.
On another note, you sound a lot like how I think and feel about things. Some things that people say have a nasty habit of sticking to my brain. And it's not like I really like remembering some things, but they linger, like adhesive after a label is peeled off of glass.
The only things I have ever found to get the residual glue off after I have heard something awful like that is replacing those statements with better ones by reading good, beautiful, amazing works of literature that I have found in libraries from people whose lives were spent elevating their minds and, in turn, the minds of humanity.
Another thing that works to shake off words like those is to live as fully as possible. If it makes you mad, use the anger you feel as a motivator to work at your dreams, whatever they are. Nothing is quite like the feeling of knowing that despite what someone else may have said or even sworn to be true, the reality of your existence proves it wrong.
In terms of feelings, I don't know how I feel about things as compared to other people. I get really angry but have a few people in my life who accept me at my worst state of mind and have seen me there and have also seen me at my best. I don't think I am more likely to be self destructive, though, because I am a type 1. Nope. I think, in fact, that being a type 1 probably makes me more likely to be hell bent on life, living it as fully and well as possible.
haha Nina when i read your reply i almost fell out of my chair..cause in high school my friends use to joke around sayin that Diabetes was an STD...never thought i would see it used in real life
I've not heard this before. But, my sister and my parents keep telling me that I'm aggressive. I dont know why is that so. And it hurts a lot.I feel that they just fail to understand me and would say such things.