Determinants of Depression in Patients of Type-II Diabetes Mellitus Presenting at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Depression is increasingly prevalent worldwide and often coexists with chronic physical conditions like Type-II Diabetes Mellitus (DM). Despite its significant impact on quality of life, mental health in diabetic patients is frequently overlooked. Objective: To observe the frequency and determinants of depression in patients of type-II DM presenting at a tertiary care hospital. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Medicine and Endocrine, Federal Government Poly-Clinic Hospital, Islamabad from January to March 2024. After taking informed consent patients who were diagnosed with type-II DM for more than one year were recruited in this study. Depression was assessed with Patient Health Questionare-9 and confirmed by interview with the psychiatrist. Association of various social, demographic and clinical factors was established with presence of depression among the study participants via relevant statistical test. Results: A total of 1000 patients of type-II DM were recruited of which 702 (70.2%) were male while 298 (29.8%) patients were female. After assessment it was found that 600 (60%) patients did not have depression while 400 (40%) patients had significant depression. Statistical analysis revealed that female gender and poor glycemic control were significantly associated with presence of depression among the study participants (p-value <0.001). Conclusion: Current study showed a significant proportion of patients with type 2 Diabetes to have depression. Female patients and patients with poor glycemic control were more statistically associated with depression as compared to male patients and patients with good glycemic control in the study population.