Individuals who have experienced chronic complications of diabetes are more at risk of developing a mental health disorder, new evidence has indicated.
Equally, those living with mental health problems are at higher risk of experiencing chronic diabetes complications such as a stroke, nerve damage and a heart attack, the research has reported.
Experts are now calling for clinicians to regularly screen people living with diabetes for mental health disorders.
Lead author Dr Brian Callaghan said: “We wanted to see if chronic diabetes complications led to mental health disorders or if mental health disorders led to those diabetes complications – but we found that both relationships are true.
- Increasing fruit intake can prevent poor mental health later in life
- Scientists develop experimental type 1 diabetes drug which shields insulin-making cells from immune system attack
- Mental ill health accounts for 20,000 people off work each month
“The findings highlight a need for clinicians to actively screen for mental health disorders in people with diabetes in addition to screening for chronic complications, which is the recommended standard of care in diabetes.”
During the study, a team of researchers analysed insurance claims made by more than 500,000 adults with diabetes and 350,000 adults without.
They found that the participants with chronic diabetes problems were three times more likely to have anxiety or depression compared to those with no complications.
In addition, they revealed that adults with diabetes became more at risk of mental health complications as they got older.
Meanwhile, the participants with mental health disorders were 2.5 more at risk of experiencing severe diabetes complications.
The authors said: “A possible reason for this bi-directional relationship may be that having a diabetes complication or mental health condition has direct effects on developing the other complication.”
Dr Callaghan added: “For instance, a stroke causes detrimental effects on the brain, which may directly lead to depression. And having a mental health condition and diabetes may affect a person’s self-management of their condition — like poor glycaemic control or not taking medications – which, in turn, may increase their risk of diabetes complications.”
- Experimental weight-loss jab is 5 times more effective than Wegovy and Ozmepic
- Eating kiwi can improve your mental health in less than a week
- Going to the gym improves your mental health
Corresponding author Maya Watanabe said: “Most likely, a combination of direct and indirect effects and shared risk factors drive the association we are seeing.
“Diabetes care providers may be able to simultaneously prevent the risk of multiple complications by providing interventions to treat these shared risk factors.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of people living with diabetes will experience feelings of distress related to their condition during an 18-month period.
Co-author Dr Eva Feldman said: “Primary care providers and endocrinologists are already overworked; therefore, systems of care need to be in place to help provide mental health care when needed.
“These systems should include mental health screening, easily accessible insurance coverage for mental health services and both physician and patient education programmes.”
She concluded: “Action is needed, and our new research provides further evidence that this action needs to occur now.”
Read the study in the journal Diabetes Care.
