Please excuse the editorial nature of this piece. I often post about the scientific studies about diabetes. Today I'd like to discuss a bizarre thought I've had about the management of diabetes and how eerily similar I feel it is to a phenomenon known as cutting. I preface this blog with a sincere apology for anyone that is offended by the comparison. I know all too much about diabetes and very little about cutting, but my curiosity led me to read a little more about it and I remain stymied by the similarities.

Diabetes is controlled by repeated checks of blood glucose. The most effective way of measuring blood glucose is to prick your finger, draw blood, and drop it into a machine to read the results. This must be done anywhere between 2 and 12 or more times a day. Once the results are given - a diabetic should a) take insulin by injection or an insulin pump or an oral medication b) eat something or c) do nothing. The objective of drawing blood is to know your numbers. Ultimately this will ensure you are in range. That's right - test, treat and repeat. This routine, if followed religiously throughout your life, will best divert any long-term complications associated with diabetes. No guarantees.

A cutter is someone who practices self-injury (also known as self-harm and self-mutilation) by scratching or cutting his or her skin with a sharp object. Cutting is usually a symptom of mental illness and most often is used as a coping mechanism. By no means is this a symptom to ignore. It is serious and often implies a more serious underlying condition that warrants serious medical attention.

The necessary roughness of drawing blood serves a purpose for both diabetics and cutters. Of course one is medically supervised to care for the well-being of an individual and the other is self-inflicted and harmful for the individual. The end result of incessantly checking blood sugars will result in better control of a life-threatening disease. The end result of cutting is a scar reminding the cutter of a deeper pain. Both causes of the behavior are nonetheless tragic. As a type I diabetic, I do everything I can to avoid having to be reminded of diabetes - even if that requires me taking breaks from my life to test, treat, and repeat. I appreciate the perspective of anyone who wishes to share about the control regimen of their diabetes, or the psychology of a cutter.