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DEPRESSION CARE ALONE DOES NOT IMPROVE DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT, STUDY FINDS | |
| Contact: Joan DeClaire, Center for Health Studies Phone: 206-287-2653 Embargoed until: March 4, 2005 |
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Vancouver, BC, Canada - Although depression is linked to poor diabetes self-care and outcomes, a new study finds that enhanced depression treatment does not help depressed people with diabetes make the life-style changes they need to improve their health. "The implication is that depression care alone is insufficient for helping patients make behavior changes-such as increased physical activity and better nutrition-that are needed to improve their diabetes," says Elizabeth H. B. Lin, MD, MPH, the Group Health family-medicine physician and scientific investigator who led this research. To conduct the study, Lin and colleagues randomly assigned 329 primary-care patients with diabetes and co-existing depression to receive either enhanced depression care or usual care for depression. In the enhanced depression-care group, a nurse care-manager collaborated with primary care physicians and a psychiatrist to provide antidepressants, problem-solving therapy, or a combination of both. After six months, the researchers found that patients in the enhanced depression-care group had less depression and took their antidepressants regularly. However, they did not achieve better blood-sugar levels, and they did not improve self-care behaviors related to nutrition, exercise, checking their blood sugar, or taking medications for diabetes, cholesterol, and high blood pressure. "These findings suggest that, to achieve better health outcomes, we need to integrate behavior-change strategies into depression and diabetes management," Lin concludes. | |
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Psychosomatic Medicine is the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Psychosomatic Society, published bimonthly. For information about the journal, contact Vicki White, Managing Editor for Manuscript Production,
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