The Link Between Depression and Diabetes

Millions of Americans are being treated for depression. In fact, depression seems to be so common these days that it's almost unusual not to be formally diagnosed with the condition! Whether depression is severe, mild, or even temporary, the condition can be debilitating for sufferers - and heart-breaking for loved ones.

According to the National institute of Mental Health (NIMH), there appears to be a link between Diabetes and depression. According to some research, individuals with Diabetes have double the risk of developing depression than individuals without Diabetes. (source: http://www.imtypefree.com/depression-and-diabetes.html) As a result, Diabetics are not only challenged to manage their physical conditions more closely, but they must also pay special attention to their mental health as well.

Diabetes may not be actual culprit for depression

While it has been widely accepted that Diabetics tend to suffer from more depression than non-Diabetics, a new study (published in 2009) indicates that the depression amongst Diabetics may not be caused by the Diabetes as much as it is caused by having a chronic illness. (source: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetesnewsarticle.jsp?storyId=20507990&filename=20090714/reuters20090714health00000019reutershealthewEDIT.xml) According to data compiled by Dr. Patrick J. O'Connor of HealthPartners Research Foundation and his colleagues, depression amongst Diabetics may be a result of having been diagnosed with a chronic condition, regardless of the type of condition. The doctors' data suggests that Diabetic patients are no more susceptible to depression than patients with other chronic conditions that require frequent outpatient visits. (source: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetesnewsarticle.jsp?storyId=20507990&filename=20090714/reuters20090714health00000019reutershealthewEDIT.xml)

How the new data was compiled

Previously, in order to get the statistic that people with Diabetes were approximately twice as likely to also have Diabetes, researchers analyzed 42 studies on the topic or on related topics. However, with the new study that has found that there may not be a direct link between Diabetes and depression, the team reviewed medical records of about 225,000 patients who were treated between 1997 and 2003. Of those medical records, they took about 3,000 records from patients who had been diagnosed with Diabetes during the 1997-2003 timeframe to records of about 14,000 individuals who had been diagnosed with Diabetes before 1997 and compared those two groups to two control groups.

Frequent doctor's visits may prevent depression

Interestingly, the results of the study also indicate that individuals who frequently visit the doctor are less likely to become depressed. Of the individual records that were studied, those patients with Diabetes who visited the doctor infrequently were 46% more likely to have a new diagnosis of depression. However, if a Diabetic patient had more than 10 doctor's visits over the study period, the Diabetic had the same risk of being diagnosed with depression as non-Diabetic individuals who frequently visit their doctors. (source: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetesnewsarticle.jsp?storyId=20507990&filename=20090714/reuters20090714health00000019reutershealthewEDIT.xml)

The big take-away

Based on the results of this latest study, it appears that Diabetics no longer need to worry about the Diabetes causing their depression; instead, they need to look at infrequent doctor's visits and the emotional and mental burden of having a chronic illness as the culprits of their blues. By visiting the doctor frequently, Diabetics may stay both physically and mentally healthy for years to come.

Resources:

http://www.imtypefree.com/depression-and-diabetes.html

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetesnewsarticle.jsp?storyId=20507990&filename=20090714/reuters20090714health00000019reutershealthewEDIT.xml