Updated July 21, 2006

Diabetes and Your Marriage
Making Things Work

by Paula M. Trief, Ph.D.

There is no standard for a healthy, satisfying relationship, and there are no limits on ways to develop and maintain one. Think about what happens in your relationship, and come up with creative ways to make things better. If you need some help, see a couples therapist. Often, a few sessions with an impartial observer can help you clarify the issues and develop a strategy to address them.

If you and your partner think of diabetes as a challenge that can either help or hurt your relationship—and choose to focus on what you have, not what you don’t have—you can be grateful that there is someone in your life to walk with you on this road that includes diabetes toward a healthier and happier place.

Dr. Trief is a Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York.

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