Abstract
Although mental disorders in diabetics are more prevalent than in the general population, an increased prevalence of depression, frequently leading to suicide, has been reported in individuals with diabetes mellitus. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to assess the risk of depression and suicide in diabetic patients. The prevalence of depression and suicide is high among diabetic individuals. Risk factors including history of depression, presence of comorbidity, younger age, lower education, low social support, presence of diabetic complications, poor glycemic control, and physical impairment, all increase the risk of depression among diabetics. On the other hand, female sex, the intensity of childhood trauma, a history of alcohol misuse, depression, lower level of education, comorbidities, higher blood glucose levels, and previous history of suicide, all increase the risk of suicide among diabetics. Additionally, a bidirectional relationship exists between depression and diabetes. For example, depression can cause diabetes due to the disease's psychological and psychosocial impact, microvascular brain lesions, higher glutamate levels, poor glycemic control, and medication adherence. On the other hand, diabetic patients develop depression due to the stress associated with disease management. This paper concluded that depression and suicide are both prevalent conditions among diabetic patients. The higher risk of depression and suicidality in diabetic patients emphasizes the critical need of integrating depression screening and treatment into primary healthcare settings to avoid fatal conditions in the future. However, more research is required in this area.
Highlights
BackgroundDiabetes is regarded as one of the world's largest epidemics and has been declared a public health emergency in a number of countries [1]
To help explain the bidirectional relationship, Pan et al propose that biochemical changes in the brain associated with the disease or its management place the diabetic individual at an increased risk of developing depressive symptomatology, or diabetes can cause depression as a result of the stress associated with living with the disease [23]
Diabetes is a major risk factor for the development of depression, and diabetic individuals are at more risk of developing depression compared to the general population
Summary
Diabetes is regarded as one of the world's largest epidemics and has been declared a public health emergency in a number of countries [1]. In a study investigating the biological risk factors for depression in diabetic women and men, researchers discovered that higher rates of depressive symptoms in males were related to an increased risk of obesity and diabetes problems [27]. Chung et al reported differences in mental health according to glucose tolerance status in a sample of 34,065 subjects and discovered that suicidal attempts, suicidal thoughts, and depressive mood for two or more consecutive weeks were all associated with elevated blood glucose levels This is because poor glycemic control results in emotional stress, while emotional stress impedes treatment adherence, resulting in poor glycemic control, which eventually increases the risk for suicide. Mortality has been reported with the use of the sugary solution by a patient with DM
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