This site is intended for healthcare professionals only
LoginRegister

EASD 2025: First-Ever Guidelines Released to Address Diabetes Distress - Video

  |  
  • whatsapp
  • Telegram

Overview

Every 12 minutes, a person with diabetes thinks about their condition. For many, this constant burden leads to diabetes distress-a state of emotional strain linked with anxiety, depression , and often associated with uncontrolled blood sugar.

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/

Speakers

Dr. Nandita Mohan

Dr. Nandita Mohan is a practicing pediatric dentist with more than 5 years of clinical work experience. Along with this, she is equally interested in keeping herself up to date about the latest developments in the field of medicine and dentistry which is the driving force for her to be in association with Medical Dialogues. She also has her name attached with many publications; both national and international. She has pursued her BDS from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore and later went to enter her dream specialty (MDS) in the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry from Pt. B.D. Sharma University of Health Sciences. Through all the years of experience, her core interest in learning something new has never stopped. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751
X