Although National Diabetes Awareness Week ended on the weekend, the issue is not going away with experts warning that life-threatening conditions may develop if diabetes is not properly managed.

Concern of the negative psychological impact is backed up by a new study from the Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes (ACBRD), which has found that four out of five people living with diabetes have experienced some sort of stigma and that having diabetes more than doubles the risk of developing depression.

This year the theme of National Diabetes Awareness Week was focussed on the stigma associated with diabetes and people with the disease are being encouraged to discuss their diagnosis.

Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults, the leading cause of preventable limb amputations and the leading cause of kidney failure.

To prevent those complications, Blooms The Chemist Pharmacist and diabetes expert Melanie Moses said it's importance for those living with diabetes or those at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes to have regular monitoring of their blood glucose levels.

"Regular health checks can help identify early warning signs of disease and illness," Ms Moses said.

"With 1.4 million people in Australia living with diabetes, it's important for people at higher risk to monitor their blood glucose levels. While this test will not confirm if you have diabetes, a high blood glucose reading may signal that there may be an issue.

"It is important to be actively involved in your own health care and to partner with a trusted healthcare professional to ensure the correct diabetes management plan is in place to optimise the opportunity to live life to the fullest without it becoming overwhelming."

Free diabetes monitoring (Blood Glucose Screening) to help people diagnosed with diabetes or those with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes is available at the chemist.

The testing process is simple. A small amount of blood is taken from the fingertip and applied to a testing strip. Within a few minutes, a result will appear and this can be shared with a GP to discuss whether further treatment may be required.

The Australian study that uncovered the issue of social stigma is backed up by a recent US study that showed the most widely reported experience of having diabetes was the perception of flawed character or failure of personal responsibility 2.

It found that while the rigour of managing diabetes is already challenging enough, the feeling of social judgement and potential guilt associated with the stigma of having diabetes can lead to negative psychological, behavioural and physical consequences such as depression, anxiety and fear of negative feedback from blood glucose testing.

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