Diabetics with depression take better care of their health when they receive cognitive behavioral therapy, according to a new study.
Depression and diabetes often occur together, and depression often hinders the ability of diabetics to follow their medicine schedule and exercise regularly, according to researchers.
The yearlong study, conducted by scientists at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and the University of Michigan Health System, looked at 145 people diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes and depression who underwent 12 weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy via phone, then monthly booster sessions for nine months, reports Health Day. Cogntive behavioral therapy is a form of talk therapy that helps patients replace negative, distorted thinking patterns with healthier, more realistic ways of thinking.
A control group of 146 diabetics with depression receiving regular diabetes care were used as a comparison.
For 58 percent of those in the intervention group, symptoms of depression had subsided by the end of the year compared with 39 percent of those in the control group, according to researchers. Those in the intervention group also reported lower blood pressure, an increase in the amount of exercise they got, and an upgrade in their overall quality of life.
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