Caring for Your Teen

Help Your Teen Achieve Their Simple Wins

Diabetes can make the traditional rites of passage – like learning how to drive and dating – challenging for teens, but you can help them through it. As a parent of a teen with diabetes, guiding them through adolescence means keeping both of you informed and educated. It's important to work together with your teen's healthcare professionals and school to help your teen stay healthy.

Just the Facts

As a parent, you want to provide the best for your child and help them manage their diabetes. Although type 1, or juvenile diabetes, is more common in children, type 2 diabetes is rising in American kids, especially in children who are overweight or who have a family history of diabetes.*

Here is some information to help you and your teen better understand each type of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, but it usually occurs in children and young adults. That's why it often is called "juvenile" diabetes. With type 1 diabetes the body does not make any insulin. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, which means the body makes antibodies against itself.

With type 2 diabetes, either the body does not make enough insulin or the cells don’t respond to the insulin. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disease, which means it affects how energy is used in the body when your body doesn’t make enough insulin or use it effectively.

When your teen is first diagnosed, you might feel like your family's life will be turned upside-down. There is a great deal to learn and the best way to cope is to work together. Talk with your teen and your family about diabetes and the best way to incorporate changes into your family's routine.

It's important to remind yourself and your teen that diabetes isn't anybody's fault. Diabetes isn't caused by eating too much sugar. That's an old myth. And although researchers do know that genes play a role in diabetes, people often develop diabetes even if there's no history of it in their family.

Hormones and tricky decisions

Hormonal changes teens face in adolescence can affect their insulin, making it harder to keep blood sugar levels under control. Teenagers with diabetes should keep careful track of their blood sugar readings so their healthcare team knows when to make changes.

When you talk to the healthcare team about caring for your teen and managing his or her diabetes, be sure to ask lots of questions.

The following links will lead you to valuable resources, tools and information to help you help your teen begin to manage their diabetes and achieve their simple wins:

* What is Diabetes?
* Insulin and Medication
* Recipes
* Diabetes resources