My daughter was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Two months after her diagnosis, they told us she was bipolar. What are the links between diabetes and bipolar disorder? Secondly, are there any statistics linking diabetes to suicide? Lastly, can you tell me if it is possible to do glucose testing on a person that has passed away?

My only child, my daughter, took her own life on December 3, 2003. I was told that she did this due to being bipolar, which I don’t believe she was. I believe it was just the mood swings of being diabetic, as her father is also a juvenile diabetic. We were told that her blood glucose level was “normal.”

Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of depression over a lifetime. I am not sure that bipolar disease is part of that. I also am not aware of any links between diabetes and bipolar disorder. Suicide and diabetes may be linked through depression, but I am not aware of the statistics.

JTL
Additional comments from Brenda Hitchcock:

Sincere condolences on the death of your daughter. You can read about the risk for suicide for people with bipolar disorder in How Serious is Bipolar Disorder? In Depression and Diabetes, the National Institute of Mental Health suggests that you contact them for information on bipolar disorder. The article also mentions that bipolar disorder may occur in people with diabetes.

BH