New way to tackle depression for patients diabetes

MEDIA RELEASE 25 May 2009

Patients with diabetes offered new way to tackle depression

North Shore Hospital patients with diabetes and depression have the chance to participate in a University of Auckland study that’s taking a new approach to a proven treatment.

The research, which started at the end of last year, is examining the merits of ‘problem solving therapy’ – a structured way to help people to identify problems, seek solutions and set goals.

Currently researchers are hoping to enrol another 70 participants in the study, with a total group of 130 people ultimately being sought.

Conventional problem solving therapy - a ‘talking treatment’ - is proven and effective, and components of it are part of most chronic disease management programmes.

But University of Auckland senior lecturer in Psychiatry, Dr Simon Hatcher, says it has mainly been researched in depression alone up until now.

“The therapy offered in this new trial has been adapted for people with both diabetes and depression, and will be studied in patients in New Zealand for the first time,” says Dr Hatcher, who is also a consultant for Waitemata DHB’s Liaison Psychiatry Service.

Participants will be offered up to eight, one-hour, face-to-face sessions over a two month
period, along with education and GP liaison.

Depression affects about one in four people with diabetes, not just influencing their mood but
also how they manage their diabetes.

This can result in more health complications and hospital visits than for those people with diabetes but not affected by depression.
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“By adding this therapy to the mix of treatment in a research setting we’re hoping to see how effective it is at enhancing both mood and diabetic control,” Dr Hatcher says.

As a first step patients attending the hospital clinic will be given a questionnaire to complete that scores his or her level of anxiety and depression.

Depending on the score patients may then progress to the next stage where they will be randomly selected to either receive the new therapy or the treatment they would ordinarily receive from their doctor.

Everyone in the study receives self help information about managing depression and diabetes, and their GP is updated about their symptoms.

It is hoped that the study’s findings will positively impact on people’s quality of life, their depression and their control over their diabetes.

Q&As

1. Is this study for people with Type 1 diabetes and people with Type 2 diabetes?

Yes. The study will involve people with both forms of diabetes.

2. What are the inclusion criteria?

* That participants be aged over 16 years and not at school.
* That the person is a patient of the North Shore Hospital Diabetes Clinic (the research is being undertaken as a single-site study).

3. What is the impact of depression on people with diabetes and vice versa?

* Diabetes is common and increasing in the New Zealand population and it has serious health consequences. Depression is also common in people with diabetes.
* The presence of diabetes makes depression harder to treat and may worsen the course of depression.
* In people with diabetes, depression is associated with poorer health outcomes, poorer adherence to treatment, and greater health care use and costs. Previous studies have shown that depression is a major barrier to improving diabetes self management.

4. What is problem solving therapy?

Problem solving therapy is a brief psychological intervention that helps people to identify problems, seek solutions and set goals in a structured way.

5. Why problem solving therapy?
Problem solving therapy is an effective treatment for depression and components of it are part of most chronic disease management programmes. There have been no studies of problem solving therapy for people suffering from depression and diabetes in a hospital setting in New Zealand before.

6. How many patients attend North Shore Hospital’s Diabetes Clinic?

Around 2,900 patients attend the clinic each year.

ENDS

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