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Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2021; 129(S 01): S91-S105
DOI: 10.1055/a-1284-6524
German Diabetes Association: Clinical Practice Guidelines

Psychosocial Factors and Diabetes

Bernhard Kulzer
1   Diabetes Center Bad Mergentheim, Research Institute of the Diabetes Academy (Forschungsinstitut der Diabetes Akademie - FIDAM), Mergentheim, Germany
,
Christian Albus
2   Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Germany
,
Stephan Herpertz
3   Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LWL-University Hospital of the Ruhr-University Bochum Germany
,
Johannes Kruse
4   Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy of the Justus-Liebig-University Gießen and Philipps University Marburg, Germany
,
Karin Lange
5   Department of Medical Psychology, Hannover Medical School, Germany
,
Florian Lederbogen
6   Joint practice Weimer/Tabakhtory-Fard; Heidelberg
,
Frank Petrak
3   Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LWL-University Hospital of the Ruhr-University Bochum Germany
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Introduction

For the therapy and long-term prognosis of people with diabetes mellitus, somatic and psychosocial factors play an equally important role. In diabetes therapy, the patient plays a decisive role, as he or she must implement the essential therapeutic measures of diabetes in his or her personal everyday life in a lasting and self-responsible manner. The prognosis of diabetes patients therefore depends to a large extent on the extent to which they succeed in doing so against the background of their social, cultural, family and professional environment. The following psychosocial factors are of central importance:

  • Acquisition of knowledge and skills for self-treatment and their implementation in everyday life,

  • Emotional and cognitive acceptance of diabetes,

  • Coping with diabetes and its possible consequences in all affected areas of life and different stages of the disease (e. g. diabetic stress, acute and subsequent complications),

  • Identification and modification of behavioral patterns that prevent successful self-treatment,

  • Successful handling of crises and/or problems related to the illness (e. g. psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders).

The present recommendations for psychosocial interventions in diabetes mellitus refer only to adult patients.

The important areas of “social legal consequences of diabetes” (e. g. profession, driver's license, Disabilities Act) or “diabetes and migrants” are not covered in this guideline.



Publication History

Article published online:
12 August 2021

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