San Diego Health

Managing diabetes isn’t easy. For many of the 37.3 million Americans living with the condition, that means following a restrictive diet, exercising regularly, monitoring blood sugar, and taking medication. Some also face mental health challenges related to diabetes. In this episode of San Diego Health, host Susan Taylor interviews Karla Espinosa De Los Monteros, PhD, a clinical health psychologist who leads the Behavioral Health Integration Program at the Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute. Dr. Espinosa De Los Monteros delves into how diabetes (and the stigma that’s sometimes attached) affects the way people can think and feel about themselves, the stress that comes with having a chronic illness, and how “diabetes distress” can be misdiagnosed as depression. She also outlines how physicians and mental health professionals can help. Learn more: https://www.scripps.org/7523p