The world's first clinical guideline on diabetes distress has been published, helping improve support for people living with it, and make emotional wellbeing a routine part of diabetes care.
The international guideline sets out practical recommendations to help healthcare professionals identify, assess and support adults experiencing diabetes distress. It has been built on evidence from our landmark D-stress study, showing how our research is helping to improve care for people with diabetes around the world.
Recognising the emotional impact of diabetes
Living with diabetes is relentless. The endless decisions, constant monitoring and stress of managing blood sugar levels can take an emotional toll. For many people, this can lead to diabetes distress – feeling frustrated, defeated or overwhelmed by diabetes. It can affect make diabetes management more difficult and impact overall wellbeing. Yet diabetes distress isn’t routinely assessed during diabetes appointments.
Now, an international team of researchers, healthcare professionals and people living with diabetes have created the first clinical practice guideline focused on diabetes distress to help change that.
The guideline is underpinned by evidence, including findings from our D-stress study. This important research, co-funded by us and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), is developing and testing a new UK programme to treat diabetes distress.
Better care
The guideline recommends that healthcare professionals regularly check in on how people are coping emotionally, as well as reviewing things like blood sugar levels and treatment plans. It highlights that this should be considered a core part of diabetes care, not something to discuss only when problems appear.
Key recommendations for healthcare professionals include:
- Talking about the emotional impact of diabetes during routine appointments.
- Using trusted assessment tools to consistently identify diabetes distress.
- Monitoring diabetes distress over time.
- Working together with people experiencing diabetes distress to make personalised support plans
- Offering evidence-based support to help manage diabetes distress.
For people living with type 1 diabetes, evidence shows psychological interventions and diabetes technology, like continuous glucose monitoring and hybrid closed loop systems can help reduce distress. For people with type 2 diabetes, psychological support and education were found to be beneficial.
The guideline also recognises that there isn’t a single solution for everyone. Instead, support should be tailored to each person’s individual needs and circumstances.
People with diabetes have told us that the emotional side of the condition can be just as challenging as the physical side, but too often it’s overlooked. That led us to join forces with the NIHR to fund landmark research that could transform care. Now, thanks in part to that research, healthcare professionals have clear guidance on how to recognise diabetes distress and support people experiencing it.
Professor Chantal Mathieu, President of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, which developed the guideline, said:
“Despite huge advances in therapies and technologies, the emotional burden of diabetes has not diminished – and for many, it has increased. This guideline recognises that reality, reminding us that good diabetes care must address both glucose levels and the lived experience of managing the condition.”
