Psychiatric aspects of diabetes mellitus.

A descriptive study of the psychiatric findings in 50 insulin--dependent diabetics is presented. Among the symptoms found were a marked reduction in energy level, increased fatigue and irritability, depression, and delayed psychosexual maturation. Diabetes mellitus is commonly considered to be a disease that, if properly controlled, allows the patient to lead a relatively normal life. We found, however, that these symptoms often made the patients' lives uncomfortable, reduced their functional capacity, disrupted their family life, and disturbed the adolescence of those who were affected at an early age.