Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Serious Psychological Distress and Diabetes: A Review of the Literature

  • MEDICOPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS (WJ KATON, SECTION EDITOR)
  • Published:
Current Psychiatry Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

With the development of a measure of serious psychological distress (SPD) in 2002, more attention is being paid to the association of SPD with diabetes outcomes and processes of care. We review the literature on the relationship between SPD and diabetes processes of care and outcomes, as well as the literature on the relationship between specific mental health diagnoses and diabetes processes of care and outcomes during the 2010 to 2011 period. There is an extensive literature on the association of mental health diagnoses with diabetes outcomes, especially for depression. Because the Kessler scale measures a much broader range of mental health issues than any specific DSM-IV/Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders diagnosis and is designed to assess SPD at the population level, additional research needs to be conducted both in clinical settings and using large administrative datasets to examine the association between SPD and diabetes outcomes and processes of care.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: •• Of major importance

  1. Kessler RC, Andrews G, Colpe LJ, et al. Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychol Med. 2002;32:959–76.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. •• Egede LE, Ellis C. Diabetes and depression: global perspectives. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2010 Mar; 87(3):302–12. This is a review article on the association of depression with poor metabolic control, higher complication rates, decreased quality of life, increased health care cost, increased disability, lost productivity, and increased risk of death.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Ali S, Stone MA, Peters JL, et al. The prevalence of co-morbid depression in adults with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabet Med. 2006;23:1165–73.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Lustman PJ, Anderson RJ, Freedland KE, et al. Depression and poor glycemic control: a meta-analytic review of the literature. Diabetes Care. 2000;23:934–42.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Richardson LK, Egede LE, Mueller, Echols CL, Gebregziabher M. Longitudinal effects of depression on glycemic control in veterans with type 2 diabetes. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2008;30:509–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Gonzalez JS, Peyrot LA, McCarl EM, et al. Depression and diabetes treatment nonadherence: a meta-analysis. Diabetes Care. 2008;31:2398–403.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Egede LE. Effect of depression on self-management behaviors and health outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes. Curr Diabetes Rev. 2005;1:235–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lin EH, Katon M, Von Korff C, et al. Relationship of depression and diabetes self-care, medication adherence, and preventive care. Diabetes Care. 2004;27:2154–60.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Gonzalez JS, Safren E, Cagliero DJ, Wexler L, et al. Depression, self-care, and medication adherence in type 2 diabetes: relationships across the full range of symptom severity. Diabetes Care. 2007;30:2222–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. de Groot M, Anderson R, Freedland KE, Clouse RE, Lustman PJ. Association of depression and diabetes complications: a meta-analysis. Psychosom Med. 2001;63:619–30.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Clouse RE, Lustman PJ, Freedland KE, et al. Depression and coronary heart disease in women with diabetes. Psychosom Med. 2003;65:376–83.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Egede LE. Diabetes, major depression, and functional disability among U.S. adults. Diabetes Care. 2004;27:421–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Egede LE. Effects of depression on work loss and disability bed days in individuals with diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2004;27:1751–3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Eren I, Erdi O, Sain M. The effect of depression on quality of life of patients with type II diabetes mellitus. Depress Anxiety. 2008;25:98–106.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Le TK, Able SL, Lage MJ. Resource use among patients with diabetes, diabetic neuropathy, or diabetes with depression. Cost Eff Resour Alloc. 2006;4:18.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Finkelstein EA, Bray JW, Chen H, et al. Prevalence and costs of major depression among elderly claimants with diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2003;26:415–20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Egede LE, Zheng D, Simpson K. Comorbid depression is associated with increased health care use and expenditures in individuals with diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2002;25:464–70.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Katon W, Fan MY, Unutzer J, et al. Depression and diabetes: a potentially lethal combination. J Gen Intern Med. 2008;23:1571–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Egede LE, Nietert PJ, Zheng D. Depression and all-cause and coronary heart disease mortality among adults with and without diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2005;28:1339–45.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Campayo A, Gómez-Biel CH, Lobo A. Diabetes and depression. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2011;13:26–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Nouwen A, Nefs G, Caramlau l, et al. Prevalence of depression in individuals with impaired glucose metabolism or undiagnosed diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the European Depression in Diabetes (EDID) Research Consortium. Diabetes Care. 2011;34:752–62.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Katon W, Lin E, Williams L, et al. Comorbid depression is associated with an increased risk of dementia diagnosis in patients with diabetes: a prospective cohort study. J Gen Intern Med. 2010;25:423–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Lin E, Rutter C, Katon W, et al. Depression and advanced complications of diabetes: a prospective cohort study. Diabetes Care. 2010;33:264–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Heckbert S, Rutter C, Oliver M, et al. Depression in relation to long-term control of glycemia, blood pressure, and lipids in patients with diabetes. J Gen Intern Med. 2010;25:524–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Egede L, Osborn C. Role of motivation in the relationship between depression, self-care, and glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Educ. 2010;36:276–83.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Egede L, Grubaugh A, Ellis C. The effect of major depression on preventive care and quality of life among adults with diabetes. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2010;32:563–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Dismuke C, Egede L. Association between major depression, depressive symptoms and personal income in US adults with diabetes. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2010;32:484–91.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Bryan C, Songer T, Brooks M, et al. The impact of diabetes on depression treatment outcomes. Diabetes Care. 2010;33:1034–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Pan A, Lucas M, Sun Q, et al. Bidirectional association between depression and type 2 diabetes mellitus in women. Arch Intern Med. 2010;22:1884–18891.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Pan A, Lucas M, Sun Q, et al. Increased mortality risk in women with depression and diabetes mellitus. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011;68:42–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Sorkin D, Ngo-Metzger Q, Billimek J, et al. Underdiagnosed and undertreated depression among racially/ethnically diverse patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2011;34:598–600.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Osborn C, Trott H, Buchowski M, et al. Racial disparities in the treatment of depression in low-income persons with diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2010;33:1050–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Ell K, Katon W, Xie B et al. One-year postcollaborative depression care trial outcomes among predominantly Hispanic diabetes safety net patients. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2011, Jul 18 Epub ahead of print.

  34. Ell K, Katon W, Xie B, et al. Collaborative care management of major depression among low-income, predominantly Hispanic subjects with diabetes: a randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Care. 2010;33:706–13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. McDade-Montez E, Watson D: Examining the potential influence of diabetes on depression and anxiety symptoms via multiple sample confirmatory factor analysis. Ann Behav Med 2011, Aug 11 Epub ahead of print.

  36. Auila N, Davies M, Skinner T, et al. The association between anxiety and measures of glycaemia in a population-based diabetes screening programme. Diabet Med. 2011;28:785–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Trento M, Raballo M, Sicuro J et al: A cross-sectional survey of depression, anxiety, and cognitive function in patients with type 2 diabetes. Acta Diabetol 2011, Mar 27 Epub ahead of print.

  38. Labad J, Price J, Strachan M, et al. Symptoms of depression but not anxiety are associated with central obesity and cardiovascular disease in people with type 2 diabetes: the Edinburg Type 2 Diabetes Study. Diabetologia. 2010;53:467–71.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Miller S, Mancuso C, Boutin-Foster C, et al. Associations between posttraumatic stress disorder and hemoglobin A1(C) in low-income minority patients with diabetes. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2011;33:116–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Boyko E, Jacobson I, Smith B, et al. Risk of diabetes in U.S. military service members in relation to combat deployment and mental health. Diabetes Care. 2010;33:1771–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Scott-Tilley D, Tilton A, Sandel M. Biologic correlates to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder in female victims of intimate partner violence: implications for practice. Perspect Psychiatr Care. 2010;46:26–36.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Hsu J, Chien I, Lin C, Chou Y, Chou P. Incidence of diabetes in patients with schizophrenia: a population-based study. Can J Psychiatry. 2011;56:19–26.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Schoepf D, Potluri R, Uppal H et al: Type-2 diabetes mellitus in schizophrenia: increased prevalence and major risk factor of excess mortality in a naturalistic 7-year follow-up. Eur Psychiatry 2011, May 12 Epub ahead of print.

  44. Becker T, Hux J. Risk of acute complications of diabetes among people with schizophrenia in Ontario, Canada. Diabetes Care. 2011;34:398–402.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Bresee L, Majumdar S, Patten S, Johnson J. Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and health care use in people with and without schizophrenia. Eur Psychiatry. 2011;33:327–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Kreyenbuhl J, Dixon L, McCarthy, et al. Does adherence to medications for type 2 diabetes differ between individuals with vs without schizophrenia? Schizophr Bull. 2010;36:428–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Fisher L, Glasgow R, Mullan J, Skaff M, Polonsky W. Development of a brief diabetes distress screening instrument. Ann Fam Med. 2008;6:246–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Ting R, Nan H, Yu M, et al. Diabetes-related distress and physical and psychological health in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients. Diabetes Care. 2011;34:1094–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Fisher L, Glasgow R, Strycker L. The relationship between diabetes distress and clinical depression with glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2010;33:1034–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Fisher L, Mullan J, Arean P. Diabetes distress but not clinical depression or depressive symptoms is associated with glycemic control in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Diabetes Care. 2010;33:23–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Zagarins S, Allen N, Garb J, Welch G: Improvement in glycemic control following a diabetes education intervention is associated with change in diabetes distress but not change in depressive symptoms. J Behav Med 2011, Jun 21 Epub ahead of print.

  52. Kessler R, Barker P, Colpe L, et al. Screening for serious mental illness in the general population. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2003;60:184–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Kessler R, Green J, Gruber M et al: Screening for serious mental illness in the general population with the K6 screening scale: results from the WHO World Mental Health (WMH) survey initiative. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res 2010, Suppl 1:4–22.

  54. Arnaud B, Malet L, Teissedre F, et al. Validity study of Kessler’s psychological distress scales conducted among patients admitted to French emergency department for alcohol consumption-related disorders. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2010;34(7):1235–45.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Mitchell C, Beals J. The utility of the Kessler Screening Scale for Psychological Distress (K6) in two American Indian communities. Psychol Assess. 2011;23:752–61.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. Krieger N, Kosheleva A, Waterman P, Chen J, Konen K. Racial discrimination, psychological distress, and self-rated health among US-born and foreign-born black Americans. Am J Public Health. 2011;101:1704–13.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  57. McMillan K, Enns M, Asmundson G, Sareen J. The association between income and distress, mental disorders, and suicidal ideation and attempts: findings from the collaborative psychiatric epidemiology surveys. J Clin Psychiatry. 2010;71:1168–75.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  58. Kessler R, Galea S, Jones R. Mental illness and suicidality after Hurricane Katrina. Bull World Health Organ. 2006;84:930–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. •• Dismuke C, Egede L: Association of serious psychological distress with health services expenditures and utilization in a national sample of US adults. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2011, 33:311–317. SPD is associated with higher health service utilization and costs in the US population.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  60. Pirraglia P, Hampton J, Rosen A, Witt W. Psychological distress and trends in healthcare expenditures and outpatient care. Am J Manag Care. 2011;17:319–28.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  61. •• Li C, Ford E, Zhao G et al: Association between diagnosed diabetes and serious psychological distress among U.S. adults: the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2007. Int J Public Health 2009, 54:43–51. Crude prevalence of SPD among adults with diabetes is twice as high for those without diabetes, which may be due to excessive rates of cardiovascular risks.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. •• Li C, Ford E, Zhao G et al: Undertreatment of mental health problems in adults with diagnosed diabetes and serious psychological distress: the behavioral risk factor surveillance system 2007. Diabetes Care 2010, 33:1061–1064. Comorbid psychological distress in individuals with diabetes is associated with a lower rate of undertreatment for mental health problems than in those without diabetes.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  63. Williams S, Haskard-Zolnierek K, Banta J, et al. Serious psychological distress and diabetes among California adults. Int J Psychiatry Med. 2010;40:233–45.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  64. Dunbar J, Reddy P, Davis-Lameloise N, et al. Depression: an important comorbidity with metabolic syndrome in a general population. Diabetes Care. 2008;31:2368–73.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  65. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Serious psychological distress among persons with diabetes-New York City, 2003. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2004;53:1089–92.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge and appreciate the resources provided by the Center for Disease Prevention and Health Interventions for Diverse Populations HSR&D program (grant REA 08–261) and the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Disclosure

No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Disease Prevention and Health Interventions for Diverse Population, Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Center for Health Disparities Research, Medical University of South Carolina, 135 Rutledge Avenue, Room 280H, P.O. Box 250593, Charleston, SC, 29425-0593, USA

    Leonard E. Egede & Clara E. Dismuke

Authors
  1. Leonard E. Egede
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Clara E. Dismuke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leonard E. Egede.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Egede, L.E., Dismuke, C.E. Serious Psychological Distress and Diabetes: A Review of the Literature. Curr Psychiatry Rep 14, 15–22 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-011-0240-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-011-0240-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation