Diabetes and depression are common chronic conditions that have a significant impact on health outcomes. In Bangladesh, one in ten adults has diabetes and 4.6% of the population is suffering from depression, 15.3–34% of the diabetic population is affected by depression.
What’s the problem?
For people with diabetes, dealing with a lifelong condition and managing the risk of complications can seem overwhelming, particularly when patients are first diagnosed. Many diabetics struggle to cope, feeling overwhelmed and unmotivated, which often results in depression. A study has shown that 31% of diabetic patients suffer from some symptoms of depression, while 11% of diabetic patients have a major depressive disorder. On the other hand, people with depressive disorders have a 65% greater risk of developing diabetes than the general population. Other risk factors for developing depression among the diabetic population include: age at onset of diabetes, being female and using smokeless tobacco.
Treatment
Depression can be treated with antidepressants, psychotherapy, or a flexible combination of both, with relatively good results. However, globally, depression and diabetes have been associated with poor medication adherence, poor glycemic control, increased prevalence of complications, higher healthcare costs and higher risk of mortality. Major challenges associated with managing diabetes and depression in Bangladesh include lack of regular screening of depressive symptoms by diabetologists and inadequate documentation and follow-up of cases. An international study is currently investigating the recognition and management of depression in diabetic patients across 16 countries, including Bangladesh - ‘International Prevalence and Treatment of Diabetes and Depression (INTERPRET-DD) [insert link to the study protocol]. There is a pressing need to improve clinical diagnosis and management of depression in patients with diabetes to minimize the risk of long-term diabetes complications and improve quality of life.