Are You a Secret or ‘Closet’ Diabetic?

The UK health charity “Diabetes UK” has released the results of a survey they recently conducted.  It contains some surprising, and some might say alarming, statistics.  The best summary I can find to date is to be found in Medical News Today.  The survey was done in 3,764 UK diabetic subjects earlier this year.  Here are some highlights.

1.  34% of responders had, or were still, keeping their diabetes a secret.  The number was 39% for women and 28% for men.  48% of those under16 kept their diabetes secret at school.
2. Roughly half these ‘closet’ diabetics felt that secrecy had adversely impacted their management of diabetes, and over a third felt it had affected their physical or emotional health.
3. The major reasons given for secrecy were fear of discrimination or bullying at school, fear of their employment chances being affected, or friends’ assumptions that an unhealthy lifestyle was responsible.
4. Many responders said they delayed blood sugar testing or taking medication to avoid drawing attention to themselves. 
5. 35% of responders felt they needed more support in managing their condition – 41% specified they’d like more psychological support.

The replies reveal a real problem for many diabetics in the UK.  How similar would the situation be if the survey were conducted in the USA?  I fear there may be a relatively high number of ‘secret’ diabetics amongst minorities, who are more likely to worry about their employer’s attitude to such health problems.  But I hope I’m wrong.  Maybe a US survey is needed . . .