Liesbeth is far from the only one. Of the 100,000 West Flemish people with diabetes, half have had mental difficulties at some point. “Diabetes is a disease that is constantly present, you can never take a holiday from it. So the mental burden is enormous,” says Inge Everaert of the Diabetes League.
“Sometimes there is also shame, because people are afraid of the consequences. Even though this turns out not to be necessary in practice.”