International Diabetes Center > Diabetes Self-care > Emotional Health > Depression and Diabetes

Depression and diabetes

A sad or irritable mood is a natural response to life’s problems. Usually, people move past these feelings or learn to cope with them. Irritable or sad feelings that last for weeks or months may be a sign of depression.

About one in five people with diabetes has depression at some time. This is double the rate of depression in people without diabetes. The causes of depression are not fully understood. Physical and psychological factors play a role. Depression tends to run in families, and is more common in women than men.

Causes of depression
Physical	Psychological
Changes in activity of brain chemicals High levels of stress-related hormones	Low self-esteem Negative, unrealistic or unsound thinking Relationship or work problems Loss, conflict Everyday stress

Symptoms

The main symptoms of depression are feeling “down” or irritable and loss of pleasure in favorite activities. Other possible symptoms include:

• change in appetite or weight
• change in sleep habits
• extreme tiredness
• nervousness
• negative self-opinion, self-criticism
• trouble focusing thoughts or making decisions
• repeated thoughts of death or suicide

High blood glucose (sugar) and depression can affect each other. They also share some symptoms. For example, some people react to depression by overeating, drinking too much alcohol or sleeping too much. These actions make it hard to control blood glucose. At the same time, high blood glucose can cause lack of energy and can affect eating and sleeping patterns. These symptoms, in turn, make it harder for the body to deal with depression.

How do you know if you are depressed? Take the depression self-assessment.

To make an appointment with International Diabetes Center, call 952-993-3393 or toll-free at 888-825-6315.