The surprising link between diabetes and depression

Have you been feeling down in the dumps for a while now? While occasional sour moods are a natural thing for all of us, prolonged down periods are not. You may be clinically depressed, and that requires action. Many of us hate the idea of being diagnosed with depression. But there are three things you absolutely must know, and more importantly, believe, about depression.

It's not a prolonged period of moodiness, or a downbeat reaction to the world around you, or a perpetually negative disposition. It's a formal disease.

• That means there is a physiological component (such as out-of-balance brain chemicals), a set of common symptoms, a way to diagnose it and a way to cure it.

Having one significantly increases your likelihood of developing the other, according to an important study published recently.

• The link goes in both directions. People diagnosed with depression or who take antidepressants have a greater risk of getting type 2 diabetes later in life. And if you have diabetes, your chances of having clinical depression are more than double those of people of the same age and general physical condition who don't have diabetes.
• In one recent international study, fully one-third of patients attending diabetes clinics met the criteria for having depression. Yet few were diagnosed or getting care for the condition.
• Others have estimated the rate of depression among people with diabetes at over 20 percent.

Because depression is far more serious than just a few days or weeks of feeling down. Not only does it make your life so much less than it can be, depression also raises your risk of other chronic conditions, including heart disease, pain and obesity.

• And depression has a ripple effect, making life harder for those you love and those around you.

Don't be depressed about depression. There are many successful ways to treat it. Keep this guide in mind and contact your doctor for more information, especially if you've already been diagnosed with diabetes.