A survey of patients with severe mental illness (SMI; schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder or depression) concludes that several aspects of diabetes healthcare and self-management were suboptimal in patients with SMI and diabetes. The study funded by Barts Charity, was published in the journal BMC Psychiatry.
This cross-sectional survey evaluated 77 patients (aged ≥18 years) with SMI and type 2 diabetes, recruited through either the UK National Health Service or mental health/diabetes charities. Participants completed survey that assessed diabetes self-care activities, measure of psychological distress, measures of barriers and enablers of diabetes self-management and participants’ experience of receiving recommended diabetes care.
Although 60% participants were confident to manage their diabetes, about one-third of respondents struggled to remember everything required for diabetes management. 75% participants found it difficult to manage their diabetes if their mental health was poor. Only 28.6% participants had developed a diabetes care plan with their healthcare professional. Participants reported receiving medicines on 6.1±2.0 days in the previous week, but behaviours like receiving specific diet (3.6±1.8 days), exercise (2.4±2.1 days) and foot care (1.7±1.8 days) were infrequent. 29±37.7 and 27±35.1 patients reported exercising and following a healthy eating plan, respectively, as difficult to manage.
Level of diabetes healthcare and support received, emotional wellbeing, priority given to diabetes, perceived ability to manage and perceived consequences of diabetes self-management were associated with diabetes self-management. Authors commented, “The development and evaluation of tailored interventions that address these areas are needed to help improve diabetes self-management support for people with SMI”.
