In India, one in three people with type 2 diabetes experience distress, with nearly 86% reporting anxiety or depressive symptoms. Despite its impact, diabetes distress has often been confused with depression. Real-world care has often lacked clarity, structured approaches, and tools for clinicians to address the emotional side of diabetes.
Recognizing this gap, the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) has issued the first-ever global guidelines on diabetes distress at its Annual Meeting 2025 in Vienna. Developed with patient input and global standards, these guidelines aim to embed emotional support into routine diabetes care.
Key Recommendations include:
- Check for diabetes distress at every visit using simple questions/tools.
- Discuss emotional well-being as part of regular diabetes care.
- Provide support through counselling, education, peer groups, or digital tools.
- Train healthcare teams and integrate emotional care into standard diabetes practice.
In conclusion, this first-ever guideline provides a vital framework to address diabetes distress, embedding emotional support into routine care and improving outcomes for people with diabetes.
References:
- Speight J, Hermanns N, Jensen W, Kanc K, Karagiannis T, Law M, Mocan A, Rutters F, Sturt J, Zaccardi F, Holt RIG. 2026 EASD evidence-based clinical practice guideline for assessing and managing diabetes distress among adults with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), Düsseldorf, 2026.
- Wojujutari AK, Idemudia ES, Ugwu LE. Psychological resilience mediates the relationship between diabetes distress and depression among persons with diabetes in a multi-group analysis. Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 18;14(1):6510. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-57212-w. PMID: 38499620; PMCID: PMC10948786.
- Ratnesh Sinha, Angelin Priya, Anuvi Sinha & Mohammad Hifz Ur Rahman (2024) Prevalence of diabetes distress among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in India: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 12:1, 2324091, DOI: 10.1080/21642850.2024.232409
- International Diabetes Federation. (2024, November 14). Diabetes: The hidden burden. International Diabetes Federation. https://idf.org/news/diabetes-hidden-burden/
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