Depression or Diabetes Burnout: What is the Difference?

How Can Depression and Diabetes Affect Someone with Both Conditions?

People with diabetes have a higher risk of depression. Depression can also make it challenging to manage diabetes. People need to feel in control of their bodies and environment. People with diabetes sometimes feel a lack of control over their bodies. When people feel a lack of control, it can lead to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.

Diabetes burnout is when a person grows tired of managing their diabetes. As a result, they do not manage their diabetes properly.

Signs of diabetes burnout include:

• Frustration around managing diabetes
• Feeling like diabetes is limiting or preventing you from doing things
• Loss of motivation to take care of yourself, but otherwise feeling well
• Everyone who has diabetes will experience diabetes burnout at some point. Symptoms of diabetes burnout and depression can look similar.

With diabetes burnout, feelings of hopelessness and helplessness happen around the condition. With depression, these feelings affect many areas of a person’s life. They also last for long periods of time.

Learn More

• Depression and Diabetes: What You Need to Know
• How to Help Your Child

Rev. 7/2018. Mass General for Children and Massachusetts General Hospital do not endorse any of the brands listed on this handout. This handout is intended to provide health information so that you can be better informed. It is not a substitute for medical advice and should not be used to treatment of any medical conditions.