Addressing diabetes distress in clinical care: a practical guide

Abstract

Addressing the emotional side of diabetes and its management has received considerable attention in recent years. At the centre of most of these efforts is the concept of ‘diabetes distress', a generic term that captures the primary sources and intensity of emotional distress associated with diabetes and its management over time. As interest in diabetes distress has grown, however, it has been difficult to integrate and translate the various strands of clinical research in a manner that can guide diabetes distress intervention efforts in the real world of clinical care. The aim of this paper is to fill this gap by outlining practical strategies for intervention in clinical settings and to assist diabetes healthcare professionals in thinking through how diabetes distress might be addressed practically in their clinics. To address these goals, this review is divided into five sections: a definition of diabetes distress, ways diabetes distress can be assessed and monitored, information about diabetes distress for use in intervention planning, topics to be considered for inclusion in diabetes distress interventions, and alternatives for where in the care process a diabetes distress intervention might be considered. We focus on diabetes distress experienced by adults with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes and COVID‐19: psychosocial consequences of the COVID‐19 pandemic in people with diabetes in Denmark—what characterizes people with high levels of COVID‐19‐related worries?

“…Living with diabetes and managing the condition on a dayto-day basis are associated with heightened levels of anxiety and distress [11,12]. Likewise, a range of different factors, such as sex, diabetes type and presence of complications, moderate the levels at which distress and anxiety are experienced [12,19].…”

Precision medicine in diabetes: a Consensus Report from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)

“…Psychological counselling can help patients understand and manage their emotional reactions to major events by developing a more optimistic outlook and more realistic, modulated and adaptive emotional reactions [128]. Precision medicine may be used in the future to help predict the frequency and extent of emotional crises.…”

Diabetes-Related Distress and Associated Characteristics in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes in an Urban Primary Care Setting in Greece

“…[17][18][19] DRD can be addressed as part of a comprehensive diabetes care within the diabetes treatment setting. 16 Nevertheless, the prevalence of DRD differs across treatment settings [i.e., primary care (PC) versus secondary/tertiary care or urban versus rural healthcare]. 15,16,20 Furthermore, the approach of healthcare providers in addressing diabetes psychological issues across the levels of care might vary, with PC providers ideally situated for conducting screening and apply interventions.…”