Presence of diabetes does not increase depression risk

Despite people with diabetes facing a higher risk of depression, a recent study indicates that any mental problems may not be accounted for solely by the condition. Instead, diagnosis is simply more likely because diabetics are in closer contact with the medical system.
Dr. O’Connor of the HealthPartners Research Foundation in Minnesota was reported as saying: “Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that having a diagnosed chronic condition increases the frequency of a depression diagnosis. Our data suggest, however, that patients with diabetes are no more affected by this susceptibility than patients with other chronic conditions who have frequent outpatient visits.”
The research argues that the number of primary care visits could skew whether people with diabetes are diagnosed and treated for depression. The team looked at a medical group of around 225,000 patients between 1997 and 2003. The research was published in the Annals of Family Medicine .