Diabetic depression

Diabetes depression is associated with poorer diabetes care and blood glucose level. Depression is more in people with diabetes compared to people without diabetes.

Major depression is present in 15% (approximately) of people with diabetes. Depression is associated with unhealthy self-care behavior, bad blood glucose management, health complications, inferior quality of life and psychological well-being, increased family problems, and costly healthcare.

The relation between depression and diabetes is not clear. But studies show that people with diabetes have a greater risk of depression than people without diabetes. Depression can develop because of stress, still may also results from the metabolic effects of diabetes on the brain.

There is some suggestion that the stress of depression itself may lead to hyperglycemia in diabetics. Also a diabetes patient with depression increases other complication of diabetes such as diabetes retinopathy, hyperglycemia and diabetes gastroparesis. Also recent studies have suggested that effective treatment of depression can improve diabetic control.