Depression can lead to poor diabetes care

Amongst type 2 diabetes patients, symptoms of depression, whether minor or major, are associated with failing to adequately maintain and control the disease. The conclusions were drawn from a study published in the journal Diabetes Care .
A research team at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Bosto, studied 879 diabetics from two clinics. The participants in the study were part of HANDS, the Harvard Department of Psychiatry/National Depression Screening Day Scale.
The team found that 19 per cent of patients met criteria for diagnosis of major depression. Surprisingly, some 66.5 per cent reported some measure of depressive symptoms. The team found that a significant relationship existed between depression and self-care.
Those patients who had type 2 diabetes may have less capacity to care for themselves, including eating properly, exercising regularly and monitoring blood glucose levels.