Diabetes-Depression Link Appears Bidirectional

Study in women finds that each is tied to a higher likelihood of the other

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 24 (HealthDay News) -- The relationship between depression and diabetes appears to be bidirectional: those with diabetes may be at higher risk for depression, and vice versa, according to research published in the Nov. 22 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

An Pan, Ph.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues observed 65,381 women for 10 years looking for evidence of a bidirectional relationship between diabetes and depression.

The researchers noted 2,844 incident cases of type 2 diabetes, with an elevated risk of diabetes development found in women who had increased severity of depressive symptoms. After adjusting for various covariates, those with a depressed mood had a 1.17 relative risk for type 2 diabetes, and those taking antidepressants were at particularly high relative risk. In addition, 7,415 cases of incident clinical depression were documented and individuals with diabetes had a higher relative risk for depression than those without diabetes.

"Our results provide compelling evidence that the diabetes-depression association is bidirectional," the authors write.

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