Impact of Human Psychology on Insulin: An Overview

Introduction:

Insulin therapy is a drug given to patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although the drug can be avoided in the early stages of diabetes, with a progressive decline in the levels of beta cells, it gradually becomes difficult to maintain the sugar levels. So, medically, it becomes a task to maintain blood sugar levels in moderation. However, the negative mindset of the patient toward insulin develops, and the nature of resistance of the body towards the drug is known as psychological insulin resistance (PIR). Here, PIR also includes the bare minimal thoughts of patients about the inefficiency of the drug approach or a feeling that it will not work. For any treatment to be successful, the patients need to trust the treatment and the healing process; hence, understanding PIR and ways to overcome it plays a vital role in insulin therapy.

What Are the Psychological Barriers to Insulin?

Psychological barriers to insulin are nothing but the patient's approach and mindset toward the drug intake or when the dosage is increased. Here, the psychological state of mind can have five concerns regarding the drug the patient worries about, and they are:

• Worrying about the medicine itself. The doubts commonly relate to whether the medicine works, whether it will put on weight, etc.

• Contemplating whether taking the drug through injection will cause pain or not.

• Worrying about their inability to take the drug by themselves.

• Fear of a rise in blood sugar level or the condition worsening in any circumstances.

What Are the Ways to Identify Psychological Barriers to Insulin?

Before prescribing any medication, it is necessary to identify the presence of any psychological barriers that might be present.

• To Be Aware: Most of the time, people with psychological barriers tend to show some warning signs that resemble:

  • Avoidance of the subject or changing the topic of concern.

  • Expressing their fear towards the medication, becoming sad, or showing discomfort when being suggested to take the medication.

  • So, people tend to show their discomfort while speaking about taking injections or their associated side effects.

  • Trying to negotiate the topic and ensuring they would follow a proper lifestyle and try fixing it.

  • Avoid coming for review.

  • Having a chivalry approach towards diabetic treatment, care, or any means to manage it.

  • Having a habit of mixing up medications or misusing insulin intake without the proper medical prescription of a healthcare administrator.

What Are the Ways to Overcome the Psychological Barriers to Insulin?

As this deals with the mindset of the people towards the medication, it is necessary to have some strategic approach towards the patients and the doctor that enables both of them to understand the approaches, including:

• If the patient is anxious, they should take medications to lower their blood sugar levels. The medical practitioner must also have a previous history of the patient's frequency and ability to take the drug properly.

• Adequate information and knowledge transfer to the patient before prescribing insulin help the patient overcome the mental barrier to the medication.

• Ask if they have any anxiety or aversion towards the prescribed medication.

• If there is any reluctance in the patient's mindset attributed to the medication, the healthcare provider must assist the patient in overcoming it.

• Also, it is essential to have periodic follow-ups.

What Support Can Be Provided for Such Patients?

Given that the decision to take insulin solely depends on the patient, the healthcare worker needs to give the patient the necessary advice and a little extra push toward overcoming their fear of taking insulin or increasing their insulin dosage. To achieve that, there should be proper communication between the patient and the doctor and the ability of the doctor to support the patient entirely. This is predominantly done in two ways:

• Advice: Proper advice is provided to the patients. This includes the nature of the drug, how it works in one's body, why it is required for the specific patient, the need to increase the dosage of the drug, and assurance that the blood sugar levels are going to be fine and not cause any harm to the body. Through this session, the patient should have been well-communicated and gained a thorough knowledge of insulin, its dosage, and its effect on the body.

• Assistance or Modeling: This is done by helping the patient overcome the fear of insulin. The following steps achieve this:

  • Modeling Insulin Administration: Here, the doctor or healthcare provider shows how the insulin injection is given. This is done as a step-by-step process, where the first step is showing the insulin pen or injection to the patient, explaining how small the needle is, etc. The second step involves explaining to the patient how to handle the injection. Finally, the third step involves asking the patient to self-inject it so it can be assessed directly under the supervision of a medical professional.

  • Helping Them Make a Decision: This process involves a decision-balancing tool, a sheet of paper with columns where the patient or healthcare worker can list the pros and cons of the treatment. This gives them a broader idea of the treatment outcome, an idea of how the treatment would be, and the benefits the patient would gain. This helps the person analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the treatment.

Conclusion:

Patients with diabetes can be under a lot of mental strain when considering their condition. This is because they constantly need to watch out for a rise in blood sugar levels. As diabetes is a chronic syndrome that affects multiple parts of the body, it can create a sense of distress towards both the disease and the medication. So when there is a change in the means of insulin delivery or an increase in dose, it automatically pushes them to the thought that something is wrong with them, where such scenarios are frequently referred to as psychological distress. To overcome this and succeed in insulin treatment, it is necessary to follow all the protocols mentioned above, have periodic checkups for better results, and have a well-accepted patient mindset.