New study links diabetes and mental health

A new study by scientists in Australia into the possible connection between diabetes and poor mental health and wellbeing has found that both are common in the country, with more than 800,000 people thought to have the metabolic condition, while more than four million are believed to suffer from medium or high levels of psychological distress .
The research, which was based around a variety of different measures and data sources, and conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, showed that there were higher levels of poor mental health and wellbeing in adults with diabetes than for those without the condition.
The findings revealed that diabetic adults in Australia were at a 43.4 per cent risk of having a prevalence of medium, high or very high psychological distress, while adults without diabetes had a 32.2 per cent risk of prevalence. It was also shown that in 2007/08, a hospitalisation for diabetes had a greater likelihood to also have mental health issues than for non-diabetics .
The study found that adults with diabetes who also were smokers had a higher risk of suffering from a mental disorder and more likely to have medium, high or very high levels of psychological distress than those people who have developed diabetes but did not smoke.