By Annette R. Karnash, R.N., M.N.
Diabetes and depression coincide simultaneously so frequently that it is thought that one may cause the other, but which comes first, the chicken or the egg? No one questions that living with a chronic, hazardous disease can allow for depression. Some researchers feel that hormonal changes that accompany depression can lead to diabetes and an analysis of a large diabetic prevention trial states that the use of anti-depressants may be linked to diabetes.
Unfortunately both diabetes and depression are intertwined with heart disease. Beware of signs of depression in your patients with diabetes because it can interfere with efforts to control blood sugar through eating well, taking medications and exercising. If the patient with diabetes is depressed, blood sugar should be monitored more closely to avoid heart attack or stroke.<
