THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES IN ADOLESCENCE

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus type 1 during Adolescence questions the representations of such disease for the subject
himself as well as for the practitioners involved in the
treatment of this pathology or other medical conditions. In the follow up of such patients, both pediatricians and child psychiatrists are frequently jointly
committed in a way we consider paradigmatic of the
liaison child psychiatric work in a pediatric unit.
Beyond a hypothetical diabetic personality proposed
by some authors, beyond the heterogeneity observed
in the psychic functioning of such patients, this article considers to what extent diabetes mellitus type 1
influences the construction of the personality during
adolescence, a developmental moment particularly
rich in opportunities, but also in odds and dangers.
Starting from the postulate that changing from childhood to adulthood, through the adolescence process,
cannot be without consequences on the subject’s relation to his disease and, therefore, on his compliance to its treatment, this paper will review patterns of psychopathological functioning and expressions adopting
a psychodynamic approach to describe comprehensively the articulation between adolescence and diabetes
mellitus type 1.
This approach will allow us to discuss how specific is
the fine grained psychological functioning of diabetic
adolescents even if the literature does not find higher
prevalence of psychopathological disorders in this population. As a consequence of such specificities, we
will advocate the need of pediatric/child-psychiatric
combined approach of such adolescents in well adapted liaison programs.