Would it make a difference if therapist was type 1 diabetic? Do you feel completely seen with how diabetes affects your world in therapy?
What have been your experiences?
I routinely see a therapist and have for many years. None have been T1 or or PWD’s. I would take care of yourself, find a therapist you like working with and stick with it.
2 Likes
Are aware of this organization?
Founder of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute, the world’s first organization wholly dedicated to studying and addressing the unmet psychological needs of people with diabetes.
2 Likes
It certainly COULD make a difference. Actual intimate experience may well help with your challenges. I too would PREFER anyone who is a diabetic peer rather than anyone who is not.
There are only a handful in the entire country. You can type the term in the Psych today membership search. You can search via google too using particular phrases…
You could also explore the mental health practitioners list of the ADA I believe it is…. some of them are also one of us.
I used a t1d psychologist to help me deal with perfectionism and disordered eating, both of which I believe were aggravated for t1d. I think her having the same illness helped her understand my problems and how to deal with them.
4 Likes
Is disordered eating the same as an eating disorder? Or does it mean you have dessert before your salad.
Really though I’ve not seen that term before
Disordered eating is a commonly used psychological term for eating that is dysfunctional and typically either consistent with or in the direction of an eating disorder, but for various reasons the person doing it may not meet criteria for an eating disorder diagnosis. Plenty of people engage in disordered eating without meeting those criteria (which are pretty specific), and typically eating becomes dysfunctional before someone gets all the way to an eating disorder. Also someone may not know if they have an eating disorder or not (haven’t been evaluated by a professional who can diagnose one), but they know they have problematic eating habits, so disordered eating is a reasonable term in that context as well, to be used by the individual in question or even a medical professional not qualified to dx an eating disorder.
So maybe don’t joke about it, just because it’s a new term for you? It’s the equivalent of if someone said they engage in problem drinking and you started making cracks about that… (Edited to add, this was in part reference to now removed posts; thanks for removing them.)
5 Likes
Here’s an example of disordered eating. Because of the pandemic (mostly) I found myself eating really limited carb choices. I am slowly trying to reintroduce other foods and new foods and find it stressful. Will I over- or under-bolus? How about meal timing? Second-guessing myself is exhausting and I am experiencing a lot of anxiety. 