Frequency of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression in Elderly Patients with Type II Diabetes Referred to the Diabetes Clinic in 2021

Diabetes is one of the most common diseases in the elderly. Mental health problems, including depression and anxiety disorders, are common in the elderly with diabetes while they are usually not diagnosed. Patients with co-occurrence of diabetes and psychiatric disorders have a worse prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder and depression in patients over 60 years old with type II diabetes.

This cross-sectional and descriptive study included 300 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes referred to the diabetes clinic of Golestan Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran, in 2021. The existence of anxiety and depression was measured using Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories, Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form (GDS-SF), Geriatric Anxiety Inventory-Short form-Persian version (GAI-SF-PV), and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V). 

Most of the patients were female (56.7%), married (95%), with a diploma or less (86.6%), Arab (57.7%), with average economic status (69%), and living with family (97%). Controlled diabetes was reported in most people using medicines and insulin (94.3%). The rates of generalized anxiety and depression based on the mentioned inventories and the DSM-V were 33.8% and 40.7%, respectively.

The findings of our study showed a high prevalence of depression and anxiety in diabetic patients over 60 years of age. Low level of education, poor economic status, uncontrolled blood sugar, and gender are independent risk factors affecting anxiety and depression. Moreover, life without a family was an independent risk factor for generalized anxiety disorder in diabetic patients over 60 years of age.