Supporting the emotional well-being of patients with diabetes mellitus in primary care
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Supporting the emotional well-being of patients with diabetes mellitus in primary care

Charlotte Gordon Senior lecturer, Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To recognise the effects that diabetes mellitus can have on people’s well-being

  • To enhance your understanding of diabetes distress and major depressive disorder

  • To support you to assess and manage the well-being of patients with diabetes in your clinical practice

Diabetes mellitus is a condition characterised by elevated blood glucose levels that can lead to significant acute and long-term complications. Alongside these physical complications, the condition can have substantial effects on people’s emotional well-being, potentially resulting in diabetes distress and/or major depressive disorder. Therefore, timely assessment and referral of patients with diabetes who display signs and symptoms of diabetes distress or other mental health conditions are essential. This article discusses emotional well-being in patients with diabetes, and outlines some diabetes-specific validated assessment tools that can be used in practice. It also discusses the management and appropriate onward referral of people with diabetes who require support.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2022.e11863

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@northernlottie

Correspondence

charlotte.a.gordon@northumbria.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Gordon C (2022) Supporting the emotional well-being of patients with diabetes mellitus in primary care. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2022.e11863

Published online: 09 May 2022

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