Abstract
Objectives:Older adults with diabetes have double the normal average risk for depression. While women also report higher rates of depression, men are less likely than women to recognize symptoms and seek assistance for mental health treatment. Racial disparities in mental health care use among men have also been identified. While age and gender differences in mental health care use have been accounted for in adults with comorbid diabetes and depression little is known about within group differences among men. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of age and race on mental health service use in a sample of men with comorbid diabetes and depression.Methods:This study utilized secondary data from a large health care delivery system serving in a Midwestern urban city and included 335 Black, and non-Latino White men with comorbid type 2 diabetes and depression.Results and Discussion:Findings indicate that men under the age of 55 were less likely to experience a 6-month or more delay in receiving a psychiatric medication prescription after their initial depression diagnosis. Black men over 55 years of age were significantly more likely to experience a delay of over six months to receiving psychiatric medication. More research is needed to explore preferred depression treatment methods for older Black men with type 2 diabetes, in addition to any issues with access to pharmacological medications to treat depression.
Highlights
In the United States, 23.1% of adults 60 years of age and older have diabetes [1]
Findings indicate that men under the age of 55 were less likely to experience a 6-month or more delay in receiving a psychiatric medication prescription after their initial depression diagnosis
The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of age and race on mental health service use in a sample of men with comorbid diabetes and depression. This study investigates this important gap in knowledge, and extends previous work by examining racial differences in both mental health service use and prescription use of psychiatric medication to treat depression in men with diabetes
Summary
In the United States, 23.1% of adults 60 years of age and older have diabetes [1]. Diabetes is associated with a significant increase in risk and prevalence for clinical depression and depressive symptoms [2,3,4,5] and older adults with diabetes have double the normal average risk for depression [6]. Adults over the age of 60 with diabetes face a number of unique risk factors for depression, such as admittance to extended care facilities and higher incidence of comorbidities. These risk factors contribute to increases in depressive disorders [7]. Adults in later life with comorbid depression and diabetes are less likely to adhere to medication, exercise and diet regimens and are more likely to experience reductions in quality of life and increased medical expenditures [8]. Considering the increased risk for depression among older adults with diabetes, the treatment of depression is critical to achieving optimal health [9]. Mental health status is often overlooked in health care settings as a common comorbidity alongside chronic diseases such as diabetes [10]
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