Handling Insulin-Related Emotions

Abstract

This article discusses a simplified, yet comprehensive approach to handle complex varieties of emotions related to insulin injections prescribed to patients with diabetes. Diabetes management requires balancing of biomedical and psychosocial complexities, so that varied emotions faced by individuals with diabetes which lead to undesirable reactions/behavior are understood and managed. This realization has inspired useful mnemonics such as OPEN OUT, SHAKTI, ASHA/HOPE, SHANTI/SHALOM, and LISTEN. These, if used in diabetes care practice, will make insulin acceptable and well tolerated.