Type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease and its consequence is the gradual decrease of endogenous insulin secretion to a very low level. Beyond this point, without insulin it is not possible to achieve proper metabolic compensation. The authors are trying to explain why the insulin therapy is often delayed in type 2 diabetic patients despite existing guidelines about its initiation and continuation. The causes of delay can be divided into two groups. One is the fear and disagreement of the patients (psychological insulin resistance – PIR) arising from different cognitive, emotional and other reasons. The second is the “clinical inertia”, when the physicians are not able to explain in an effective and persuasive way the rationale and necessity of insulin treatment to their patients. The common background of both causes is the lack of sufficient knowledge about the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and the rationale of insulin treatment together with an insufficient level of communication between doctor and patient. The authors see the solution in the improvement of pre- and postgradual education of doctors and other health care providers (nurses, educators, psychologists), in their mutual cooperation and the translation of their knowledge towards a system of successful patient education. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(3): 93–97.