The psychology of diabetes is an important topic and support in this area may be difficult to come by; but we've found a tremendous resource. On today’s show we have Dr. Mark Heyman. Mark is a PhD in Clinical Psychology and he completed clinical training at UCSD School of Medicine. He is a Certified Diabetes Educator and the Director for the Center for Diabetes and Mental Health in San Diego, CA, which is a specialty center focused on the psychosocial, emotional and behavioral aspects of diabetes. Mark also sits on the Boards of a number of diabetes non-profit organizations. And while his background is definitely impressive, what I love about him is that he not only speaks from a standpoint of an academic, he's also been living with the realities of type 1 since 1999. So what you’ll hear from Mark is not only the words of a psychologist, but also his deep understanding and practical knowledge that’s derived from his personal experiences.

Our conversation begins with Mark’s entry into a world with type 1 when he was a student at UCLA. He talks about how the physician who initially handed him the diagnoses set the stage for Mark to develop a ‘no limitations’ mindset when it came to his diabetes. Mark shares how important that was in shaping his optimistic mindset. We then go on to talk about the very heavy topic of depression. Mark also shares a wealth of knowledge on other issues we might face including anxiety, burnout, and how to change health behaviors that simply don't work for us any longer.

We finish up the show with Mark’s thoughts on why he believes living with diabetes can actually be a positive in our lives, as well as why he thinks  humor and laughter serve as a critical component in our ability to lead a healthy life.

Social Media Links

Mark Heyman, PhD on Twitter - @DiabeticPsych

Websites Mentioned in Podcast

Center for Diabetes & Mental Health - www.cmdh.org

American Psychological Association & Diabetes - www.apa.org

Music Credits for BRAVEST Episode 004

Intro music - Podington Bear, 'Sepia' & The Passion HiFi, 'Sweet Revenge'

Outtro music - Joakim Karud, 'That Day'