The Link Between Type 2 Diabetes and Psychiatric Disorders

Living with mental-health disorders is challenging enough without adding physical ailments to the mix. But recent research suggests that people with psychiatric disorders also have higher rates of Type 2 diabetes, and the combination can be devastating. “When people who have pre-existing mental illnesses develop diabetes, their outcomes are much worse,” says Anne Doherty, an associate professor of psychiatry at University College Dublin. Compared to people with Type 2 diabetes who don’t have mental illnesses, “they are more likely to develop complications, and they’re significantly more likely to die younger.” The relationship goes both ways; people with diabetes also tend to have higher rates of psychiatric disorders and face worse outcomes than people without diabetes. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] As doctors and researchers strive to untangle the mechanisms underlying these links, they’re starting to integrate the treatment of these disparate diseases. “There are some studies that show that by treating depression aggressively and assertively, you can actually improve people’s diabetes control—and, overall, their lives—so it’s really quite exciting,” Doherty says. The association between diabetes and psychiatric disorders highlights the close connections between mental and physical health. An improved understanding of these connections could give us a better shot at preventing or tr...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Disease healthscienceclimate Source Type: news