Psychiatric Morbidity in Chinese Adults with Type 1 Diabetes in Hong Kong

To determine the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and identify the correlates, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire to screen for psychiatric morbidity in Chinese adults with type 1 diabetes.

Subjects were recruited from a local public diabetes specialist outpatient clinic from August 2013 to January 2014. Demographic and clinical factors were recorded. Psychiatric diagnosis was established using the Chinese-bilingual version of the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV Axis I disorders. Scores for the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire were compared with the psychiatric diagnosis.

Of the 136 patients, the point prevalence of overall psychiatric, depressive, and anxiety disorders was 39.7%, 23.5%, and 25.7%, respectively. Family history of mental illness, smoking status, history of mental illness, presence of social problems, perceived absence of confidant, presence of neuropathy and hyperlipidaemia, as well as higher level of glycosylated haemoglobin were found to be the associated factors.

Psychiatric disorders were common in Chinese adults with type 1 diabetes. Finding out associated factors and using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire as a screening tool helped to identify patients in a diabetes clinic with psychiatric disorders.