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NOTE:
unless noted otherwise, all medical/health advice has been given by non-medically qualified personnel. All advice given on this site is designed to support and not replace any advice given by your personal physician. If you have questions or concerns about individual health matters or the management of your diabetes, please consult your diabetes care team.
unless noted otherwise, all medical/health advice has been given by non-medically qualified personnel. All advice given on this site is designed to support and not replace any advice given by your personal physician. If you have questions or concerns about individual health matters or the management of your diabetes, please consult your diabetes care team.
The teenage years correspond to the period of adolescence, marking the
transition from childhood to adulthood. During this time, young people
strive to find their own identity and begin to function independently of the
home and family. This is a time when discipline and authority are challenged
and boundaries are pushed to the limit. Puberty brings physical changes in
the body and an interest in sexual activities. In addition, young people are
faced with new forms of stress including exam pressures and career choices.
How does diabetes fit into all this?
Diagnosis
Symptoms are generally the same as in adults (thirst and frequent urination).
Additional signs to look out for in children include the following:
Contradiction, denial and refusal are common attitudes among adolescents and these emotions do not make it easy to accept the diagnosis of diabetes. Nor is it easy for a person to fit diabetes management into a life that seems to be largely ruled by one's peers.
Diabetes management
Managing diabetes is a question of balancing insulin injections with food eaten and energy used up in play activities, exercise and sports. Since children's food intake and activity levels are often varied or erratic, tight control of blood glucose levels is rarely possible. The aim should be for reasonable control, allowing normal growth and development in the child, but without too many hypos.
Depending on your child's age at diagnosis, he/she may be able to assume some self-care tasks (e.g. injections and finger-prick blood tests) straight away. However, it is important that you retain some involvement in these tasks and discuss issues associated with diabetes management so that your child or teenager develops problem-solving skills and makes a healthy adjustment to having diabetes.
Learn as much as you can about diabetes and it's management and try to assume a helpful and support role, without dictating exactly how your son/ daughter should live their life. Easier said than done perhaps, but it will help if you can establish open and honest lines of communication. Good communication from the start is key to avoiding or moderating problems in later years.
Insulin injections
Traditionally, children and teenagers have been controlled with two injections per day containing a mixture of long and short acting insulin. However, more and more young people are now using a 'basal/bolus' or multiple daily injection (MDI) regimen. This allows greater flexibility in terms of meal times and the dose of short acting insulin can be varied in accordance with the amount food eaten.
However, these intensified insulin regimens don't necessarily provide better blood glucose control for the teenager or young person. They require additional input and attention to self-care skills, especially blood glucose monitoring.
Missed insulin injections are a common cause of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in young people. This sometimes leads to repeated hospital admissions and a great deal of pressure, questioning and confrontation from healthcare professionals and parents.
Young females are at particular risk of developing eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia, and sometimes the omission of insulin is used as an aide to lose weight.
Make sure that your child or teenager is aware of the dangers of DKA and knows that it is potentially fatal.
Food and eating habits
Dietary recommendations for people with diabetes usually advise a low fat, high fibre diet with plenty of unrefined carbohydrate and lots of fruit and vegetables. These guidelines are generally appropriate for children and teenagers, so long as energy needs for growth and development are met. The whole family should adopt a healthy eating approach to food.
You will probably have little control over food eaten at school or whilst your son/daughter is out with friends. Assuming that your child or teenager understands the importance of healthy nutrition and of balancing food and insulin with activity levels then you can do very little more to influence food choices. Try to negotiate compromises with your child or teenager - take the healthy choice two out of three times, for example. At a time when peers have far more influence over a person's activity than parents, you should try not to expect the impossible of your child. Encourage honesty and openness and the use of problem-solving skills to cope with different circumstances.
Eating disorders are quite common in young females with diabetes. The underlying factors that lead to problems with food and self-image are complex, but generally associated with low self-esteem and a desire to be 'accepted'. Professional help should be sought if your child or teenager is reducing insulin to control weight, or bingeing and purging.
Blood glucose monitoring and control
Blood glucose testing is key to good control of diabetes, but it is generally not favoured by young people. It is messy and obtrusive and often tells the person just what he/she didn't want to know!
Try to stress, from as early as possible, that blood glucose monitoring is a tool purely for the use of the person with diabetes. The tests are not for parents or doctors.
Young people tend to live for the moment and the threat of complications in the future is generally not motivation for good control. However, you should not let this deter you from discussing the results of landmark DCCT study. A good time to start is when screening for complications of diabetes during the annual review begins.
Good control also has immediate health benefits and these messages may be more effective in terms of motivation for the young person. Here are just a few of the more short-term benefits of using blood glucose monitoring to improve control:
One common problem centres around 'deception'. Many children and teenagers with diabetes try to deceive both their parents and members of the healthcare team; this may be in any of a number of possible ways:
NOTE: Never us words such as "cheating" to describe deviations from the norm. This can give rise to a number of negative emotions that result in a downward spiral in the behaviour and attitude of the young person.
Diagnosis
Symptoms are generally the same as in adults (thirst and frequent urination).
Additional signs to look out for in children include the following:
- Vomiting
- Difficulty in breathing
- Reduced growth and development
- Weakness
- Behavioural problems
- Difficulties at school
Contradiction, denial and refusal are common attitudes among adolescents and these emotions do not make it easy to accept the diagnosis of diabetes. Nor is it easy for a person to fit diabetes management into a life that seems to be largely ruled by one's peers.
Diabetes management
Managing diabetes is a question of balancing insulin injections with food eaten and energy used up in play activities, exercise and sports. Since children's food intake and activity levels are often varied or erratic, tight control of blood glucose levels is rarely possible. The aim should be for reasonable control, allowing normal growth and development in the child, but without too many hypos.
Depending on your child's age at diagnosis, he/she may be able to assume some self-care tasks (e.g. injections and finger-prick blood tests) straight away. However, it is important that you retain some involvement in these tasks and discuss issues associated with diabetes management so that your child or teenager develops problem-solving skills and makes a healthy adjustment to having diabetes.
Learn as much as you can about diabetes and it's management and try to assume a helpful and support role, without dictating exactly how your son/ daughter should live their life. Easier said than done perhaps, but it will help if you can establish open and honest lines of communication. Good communication from the start is key to avoiding or moderating problems in later years.
Insulin injections
Traditionally, children and teenagers have been controlled with two injections per day containing a mixture of long and short acting insulin. However, more and more young people are now using a 'basal/bolus' or multiple daily injection (MDI) regimen. This allows greater flexibility in terms of meal times and the dose of short acting insulin can be varied in accordance with the amount food eaten.
However, these intensified insulin regimens don't necessarily provide better blood glucose control for the teenager or young person. They require additional input and attention to self-care skills, especially blood glucose monitoring.
Missed insulin injections are a common cause of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in young people. This sometimes leads to repeated hospital admissions and a great deal of pressure, questioning and confrontation from healthcare professionals and parents.
Young females are at particular risk of developing eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia, and sometimes the omission of insulin is used as an aide to lose weight.
Make sure that your child or teenager is aware of the dangers of DKA and knows that it is potentially fatal.
Food and eating habits
Dietary recommendations for people with diabetes usually advise a low fat, high fibre diet with plenty of unrefined carbohydrate and lots of fruit and vegetables. These guidelines are generally appropriate for children and teenagers, so long as energy needs for growth and development are met. The whole family should adopt a healthy eating approach to food.
You will probably have little control over food eaten at school or whilst your son/daughter is out with friends. Assuming that your child or teenager understands the importance of healthy nutrition and of balancing food and insulin with activity levels then you can do very little more to influence food choices. Try to negotiate compromises with your child or teenager - take the healthy choice two out of three times, for example. At a time when peers have far more influence over a person's activity than parents, you should try not to expect the impossible of your child. Encourage honesty and openness and the use of problem-solving skills to cope with different circumstances.
Eating disorders are quite common in young females with diabetes. The underlying factors that lead to problems with food and self-image are complex, but generally associated with low self-esteem and a desire to be 'accepted'. Professional help should be sought if your child or teenager is reducing insulin to control weight, or bingeing and purging.
Blood glucose monitoring and control
Blood glucose testing is key to good control of diabetes, but it is generally not favoured by young people. It is messy and obtrusive and often tells the person just what he/she didn't want to know!
Try to stress, from as early as possible, that blood glucose monitoring is a tool purely for the use of the person with diabetes. The tests are not for parents or doctors.
Young people tend to live for the moment and the threat of complications in the future is generally not motivation for good control. However, you should not let this deter you from discussing the results of landmark DCCT study. A good time to start is when screening for complications of diabetes during the annual review begins.
Good control also has immediate health benefits and these messages may be more effective in terms of motivation for the young person. Here are just a few of the more short-term benefits of using blood glucose monitoring to improve control:
- More energy
- Less thirsty
- Fewer trips to the toilet
- Better night's sleep
- Fewer hypos
- Better concentration
- Healthy skin
- Better athletic performance
- Appropriate growth and development
- Regular menstruation
One common problem centres around 'deception'. Many children and teenagers with diabetes try to deceive both their parents and members of the healthcare team; this may be in any of a number of possible ways:
- Making up blood glucose test results
- "Fooling" the meter with too small a drop of blood
- Refusing to test if the blood glucose level is thought to be high
- Neglecting to note hypos
- Varying or skipping insulin doses
NOTE: Never us words such as "cheating" to describe deviations from the norm. This can give rise to a number of negative emotions that result in a downward spiral in the behaviour and attitude of the young person.
