Transforming mental well-being for people with diabetes: research recommendations from Diabetes UK's 2019 Diabetes and Mental Well-Being Workshop.

Abstract

AimsTo identify key gaps in the research evidence base that could help to improve the mental well‐being of people with diabetes, and to provide recommendations to researchers and research funders on how best to address them.MethodsA 2‐day international research workshop was conducted, bringing together research experts in diabetes and in mental health, people living with diabetes and healthcare professionals.ResultsThe following key areas needing increased financial investment in research were identified: understanding the mechanisms underlying depression; understanding the multifactorial impact of social stigma; improving the language used by healthcare professionals; supporting people who find it difficult to engage with their diabetes; supporting significant others; supporting people with diabetes and eating disorders; improving models of care by learning from best practice; the potential benefits of screening and managing diabetes distress in routine diabetes care pathways; primary prevention of mental health issues at the time of diagnosis of diabetes; establishing the effectiveness of diabetes therapies on mood and other mental health issues; and understanding the impact of current diabetes technologies on mental health. Research recommendations as to how to address each of these priority areas were also developed.ConclusionsThis inaugural position statement outlines recommendations to address the urgent unmet need related to the mental well‐being of people living with diabetes, and calls on the research community and funders to develop research programmes and strategies to reduce this need.