Depression, Anxiety Predict Type 2 Diabetes
This correlation was not found for type 1 diabetes, however. Study author, Dr. Anne Engum of Hospital Levanger in Norway, speculated that “the reason why mental symptoms increase the risk of type 2 but not type 1 diabetes may be due to the differences in etiology. Individuals who develop type 2 diabetes may be more sensitive to factors related to depression or anxiety."
The author also noted that patients who already had diabetes at the start of the study were not more likely to develop symptoms of depression or anxiety.
Engum says that prior studies had established the fact that diabetes patients have more depression and anxiety than the general population. What had not been addressed was the question of which came first. Her study shows that symptoms of depression and anxiety appear to be significant risk factors for type 2 diabetes, rather than the other way around.
The article appears in the January issue of the Journal of Psychosomatic Research.
Comments
Perhaps with this study, it will soon be found that depression is a physical symptom rather than solely a mental problem. It has long been my belief that this is so. But, whenever problems occur with the brain/emotional it is written off as psycological. If depression is purely psycological, then why does it cause other phycial problems. The brain is part of the human physiology, why then can it not have physical problems that include depression? Which then cause other related conditions i.e., Type 2 diabetes?
I find that some of my most down times are right before I get sick. It happens so often when I am suddenly really, really down and upset for no apparent reason, that I’ve gone to comforting myself by saying “you’re probably coming down with something”.