Identifying the Mental Health Needs of Adults with Type 1 Diabetes
Abstract
Background: People with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are at an increased risk for mental illness, which can adversely affect diabetes self-care and glycemic control. Though effective medications and behavioral interventions exist for the management of mental disorders, implementation is low and interventions for patients with T1D largely target children and adolescents. This study aimed to explore the mental health needs of adults with T1D and how those needs may change over the life course.
Methods: We conducted focus group discussions (n=5) with adults diagnosed with T1D who have sought mental health care and/or been diagnosed with a mental illness. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using a rapid qualitative analytic approach where templates summarizing the main discussion topics were compared to identify shared themes related to mental health across participants and life transitions.
Results: Participants identified a range of mental health conditions that stem from living with T1D, with the acknowledgement that common mental disorders are inevitable for people living with this complex and life-threatening condition. Disordered eating, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress, and hypervigilance were reported as common experiences within the initial years of being diagnosed and learning to manage T1D, adolescence and emerging adulthood, and following critical life events (pregnancy), while depression, anxiety, distress, and burnout were reoccurring across the life course. Groups advocated for improved mental health screening among people with T1D, improved provider education on how to counsel and support the mental health of patients with T1D, and to recognize the unique mental health needs of patients with type 1 versus type 2 diabetes and to tailor mental health promotion interventions accordingly.
Conclusions: Challenges of living with T1D vary across the life course and contribute to poor mental health, with certain periods necessitating tailored behavioral support and mental health intervention.
Keywords: mental health, diabetes, health promotion
Keywords
mental health, diabetes, health promotion
Identifying the Mental Health Needs of Adults with Type 1 Diabetes
Background: People with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are at an increased risk for mental illness, which can adversely affect diabetes self-care and glycemic control. Though effective medications and behavioral interventions exist for the management of mental disorders, implementation is low and interventions for patients with T1D largely target children and adolescents. This study aimed to explore the mental health needs of adults with T1D and how those needs may change over the life course.
Methods: We conducted focus group discussions (n=5) with adults diagnosed with T1D who have sought mental health care and/or been diagnosed with a mental illness. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using a rapid qualitative analytic approach where templates summarizing the main discussion topics were compared to identify shared themes related to mental health across participants and life transitions.
Results: Participants identified a range of mental health conditions that stem from living with T1D, with the acknowledgement that common mental disorders are inevitable for people living with this complex and life-threatening condition. Disordered eating, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress, and hypervigilance were reported as common experiences within the initial years of being diagnosed and learning to manage T1D, adolescence and emerging adulthood, and following critical life events (pregnancy), while depression, anxiety, distress, and burnout were reoccurring across the life course. Groups advocated for improved mental health screening among people with T1D, improved provider education on how to counsel and support the mental health of patients with T1D, and to recognize the unique mental health needs of patients with type 1 versus type 2 diabetes and to tailor mental health promotion interventions accordingly.
Conclusions: Challenges of living with T1D vary across the life course and contribute to poor mental health, with certain periods necessitating tailored behavioral support and mental health intervention.
Keywords: mental health, diabetes, health promotion
