‘Diabetes distress’ increases risk of mental health problems among young people living with type 1 diabetes

According to the charity JDRF, there are 8.7 million people living with type 1 diabetes around the world, including over 400,000 people in the UK. It is a chronic, life-threatening condition, usually diagnosed in childhood, that has a life-long impact.

‘Diabetes distress’ increases risk of mental health problems among young people living with type 1 diabetes. Photo: Mykenzie Johnson/Unsplash

Currently, people with type 1 diabetes rely on a routine of finger-prick blood tests and insulin injections or infusions, because their pancreas no longer produces insulin itself, although recent developments in artificial pancreas technology are helping transform this care.

Previous studies have shown potential links between childhood-onset type 1 diabetes and a number of mental health disorders in adulthood.

However, it is not clear whether these links can be best explained by the impacts of living with the condition and its treatment, or whether underlying common biological mechanisms may be implicated, for example the impact of unstable blood sugar levels on the developing adolescent brain.

To help answer this question, a team of researchers turned to data from over 4,500 children with type 1 diabetes on a national register in the Czech Republic and from large-scale European DNA studies.

From the national register data, the researchers found that children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes – compared to children without the condition – were over twice as likely to develop a mood disorder and more than 50% more likely to develop an anxiety disorder.

They were also more than four times more likely to develop behavioural syndromes including eating and sleep disorders

Conversely, children with type 1 diabetes were at a much lower risk of developing psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia – almost half the risk compared to their peers.

The findings are consistent with the results from two other national register studies in Sweden and in Denmark, suggesting that the results would likely apply to other countries, too, including the UK.

The team used a statistical technique known as Mendelian Randomisation to probe causal links between type 1 diabetes and these various psychiatric disorders, but found little evidence in support of a common underlying biological mechanism.

Tomáš Formánek, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge and the National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic, said: “Although we found a concerning increase in the risk of mental health problems among people living with type 1 diabetes, our study – and others before it – suggests this is unlikely to be the result of common biological mechanisms. This emphasises the importance of prevention and sustained attention to the mental health needs of children and young people with type 1 diabetes.”

The researchers say that mental health problems in later life may be a result of children with type 1 diabetes being forced to make significant changes to their lives, with a constant focus on monitoring their food intake and a need to check blood sugar levels and administer insulin injections.

This often leaves these children feeling excluded from social events and singled-out by peers, teachers and even family members.

Dr Benjamin Perry from the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, said: “We know that people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes can experience ‘diabetes distress’.

This can include extreme frustration with blood sugars and feelings of isolation and can lead to burnout, hopelessness, and a feeling of lack of control. It’s little wonder, then, that they are at risk of compounding mental health problems, spanning into their adult lives.”

Professor Peter Jones, also from the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, added: “Our findings emphasise the urgent need to support children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, look out for signs of mental health problems and offer timely, expert help. That way, it may be possible to help these children early, before these problems fully take root.”

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Increasing Daily Steps Can Mitigate Sedentary Lifestyle Risks

A new study reveals that even highly sedentary individuals can reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease and early death by increasing their daily step count, according to international researchers.

Vigorous exercise not linked to increased risk of adverse cardiac events in long QT syndrome

People who exercise vigorously and have long QT syndrome (LQTS), an inherited disorder of the heart’s electrical system that leads to chaotic heartbeats, do not have a higher risk of adverse cardiac events compared to those who exercise moderately or not at all.

Scientists map how deadly bacteria evolved to become epidemic

Pseudomonas aeruginosa – an environmental bacteria that can cause devastating multidrug-resistant infections, particularly in people with underlying lung conditions – evolved rapidly and then spread globally over the last 200 years, probably driven by changes in human behaviour.

Genetic study points to oxytocin as possible treatment for obesity and postnatal depression

Scientists have identified a gene which, when missing or impaired, can cause obesity, behavioural problems and, in mothers, postnatal depression.

Genetic study of age of puberty in girls shows links with weight gain

Genes can indirectly influence the age at which girls have their first period by accelerating weight gain in childhood, a known risk factor for early puberty, a Cambridge-led study has found.

New Study Offers Hope in Predicting Alzheimer's Disease Progression

A recent study has developed a tool capable of forecasting cognitive decline over the next five years for individuals showing early signs of Alzheimer's disease, aiming to alleviate uncertainties faced by patients and caregivers.