Evidence based prevalence of diabetes related depression in Kohat, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study

Patients suffering from chronic health conditions such as pulmonary diseases, cancer, cardiovascular problems, and diabetes mellitus (DM) are facing psychological disturbance while struggling to handle their physical illnesses. Among all chronic health conditions, DM Type II is one of the main reasons for depression across the population.

The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression among the diabetic population and to determine the relationship between depression severity and diabetic duration.

We designed a questionnaire-based study to identify the prevalence of depression in the diabetic population visited tertiary care hospital in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Patients aged above 15 were included, and their health condition was evaluated according to the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) score. We investigated 1573 diabetic individuals, including 831 males and 742 females, for depression symptoms. Data was analyzed by the Chi-square test to obtain the association between diabetes and depression. The statistical significance between variables was determined by calculating the p-value.

Among the patients who suffered from DM Type II, 32.8% of patients showed minimal depression, and 7.9% were found severely depressed. As diabetic duration prolongs, depression severity also rises, and among patients who have been suffering from DM type II for more than 13 years, most patients were suffering from moderately severe and severe depression. Moreover, depression severity was high in the patients aged over 60 years.

The overall results showed that more than half of the total diabetic population was facing mild to severe depression. Based on our results, we suggest including a psychological and mental health investigation during the evaluation of diabetes in the patients. The study might help healthcare workers assess the psychological complications of diabetic patients.