So, I still haven’t found the will to scroll through the 100+ pages of the 2016 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes published by the American Diabetes Association. However, I did manage to read the Summary of Revision and was left open-mouthed after the first sentence.
“In alignment with the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA’s) position that diabetes does not define people, the word “diabetic” will no longer be used when referring to individuals with diabetes in the “Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes.” The ADA will continue to use the term “diabetic” as an adjective for complications related to diabetes (e.g., diabetic retinopathy).”
-American Diabetes Association (2016)
Say what?
I don’t have diabetes (and I pray to God I won’t), so I don’t have the right to judge.
But people with diabetes, does the term diabetic seriously offend you? Is there a difference between people with diabetes VS diabetic?
I’m at awe since this problem was big enough to be mentioned by the ADA, and even more so ridiculous when I start to picture a group of highly esteemed experts sitting in a room debating on this First World problem.
You should know that I will continue to use the term diabetic…until someone convinces me otherwise.
What do you think? Are there other diabetic terms that should be scrapped?
