A review of the relationship between depression and diabetes in adults: is there a link?

OBJECTIVE

To review the support for two hypotheses concerning the interrelationship between depression and diabetes and to identify areas in which more research is needed.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A review was conducted using primarily electronic databases. Articles relating to diabetes and depressive symptomatology, depressive disorder, and dysthymic disorder were selected. The study focuses mainly on adults with diabetes.

RESULTS

The initial onset of major depressive disorder (MDD) seems to be independent of the onset of type 2 diabetes, but results remain equivocal for type 1 diabetes. However, in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, diabetes-related psychological and physiological processes may be involved in the higher recurrence and longer duration of MDD and depressive symptomatology

CONCLUSIONS

The hypotheses that the initial occurrence of clinically significant depression, MDD, results from either biochemical changes directly due to type 2 diabetes or its treatment or from the psychosocial demands imposed by the illness or its treatment do not seem to be supported. MDD in diabetic individuals represents a multidetermined phenomenon resulting from interactions between biologic and psychosocial factors. This interaction may increase the probability of developing type 2 diabetes in otherwise healthy individuals.