WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) Nov 6 - Empirical studies "strongly suggest that depression is more prevalent among adults with diabetes than among the general population." However, according to a review of the subject in the October issue of Diabetes Care, the reasons are not fully understood.

Dr. Arie Nouwen and Dr. France Talbot of Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK, examined the literature in order to shed further light on the relationship between depression and diabetes.

They found that the initial onset of a major depressive disorder "seems to be independent of the onset of type 2 diabetes, but results remain equivocal for type 1 diabetes." Also, the researchers observe that when major depressive disorder is involved, this may increase the probability of the development of type 2 diabetes.

Furthermore, there is accumulating evidence that major depressive disorder "has a higher recurrence rate, and depressive episodes may last longer in individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes." Other studies have shown improved diabetes control after remission of major depressive disorder.

In addition, they conclude, the apparent interaction between biological and psychosocial factors may increase "the likelihood of developing diabetic complications, which further add to the complexity of the phenomenon."

As part of an effort to elucidate the relative role of physiological and psychological factors, the investigators suggest that longitudinal studies examining psychosocial factors in depressive illness in diabetes "should have high research priority."

Diabetes Care 2000;23:1556-1562.