As we reported earlier today, if you’re diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, your risk for depression is increased by 52 percent:
“A diagnosis of diabetes or the burden of dealing with its complications might also lead to symptoms of depression,” the authors write.
But here’s the kicker — the increased risk of depression isn’t from the diabetes itself. It is instead from the treatment of the diabetes!
The researchers found that treated type 2 diabetes was associated with a 52 percent higher risk of developing elevated depressive symptoms. Individuals with untreated type 2 diabetes were not at increased risk.
People with untreated diabetes don’t suffer from a higher risk of depression. So here’s a perfect example of where health professionals treat the obvious disease problem (diabetes), but often are unaware they are creating a less obvious mental health problem (depression).
Of course, untreated depression is just as serious a problem as untreated diabetes. Hopefully this research will open the eyes of professionals and newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetics into the importance of following up with mental health and depression evaluations.
Read the full article: Increased Risk of Depression for Diabetics
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Links to This Article
Diabetes + Treatment = Depression by diabetes.MEDtrials.info (6/18/2008)
4 Comments to
“Diabetes + Treatment = Depression”
As an individual who’s been stuck in a circle of non-care for diabetes, I can see someone getting depressed just trying to GET treatment that helps.
For me, I don’t think the diabetes caused the depression — it was the other way around. When I was depressed (untreated) for years, I kept gaining and gaining weight. Treatment for depression began, and then a couple years later, pre-diabetes was diagnosed, then full-fledged diabetes. Losing weight is the most stressful thing I can do, so it was just not a possibility when severely depressed. Now that the depression is lifting with years of medication and therapy, the weight is finally coming off.
I guess this certainly is a possibility for some, but my cycle worked differently.
I would like to add that in the house-wife and older woman, who will not only sufferig from diabetes but also many chronic illness( Rheumatism,Ankylosis etc.).And Due to the economical as well as transportaiton and intagile cost of diabetes treatment, the Family members attitute towards diabetic patient is important for depresiion management.Hence,Depression come from the burden to the family of the patients which is addded to the burden of diabetic comlication.
‘But here’s the kicker — the increased risk of depression isn’t from the diabetes itself.’
What a KICKER, indeed! God, it is a sad world when you are ‘disabled’ because you know everything 30 years before it gets invented by some wise guy!
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 18 Jun 2008
