Question: In adults with type 2 diabetes and comorbid depressive and/or anxiety disorder, how effective is CBT, mindfulness or solution focussed therapy, compared to no psychological therapy, in improving patient outcomes?

Answer:

Limited evidence, from one systematic review and one addition randomised controlled trial (RCT), indicates that psychological interventions, particularly those based on CBT techniques, may be effective in reducing depressive symptoms and improving remission rates in people with diabetes
and co-morbid depression. Evidence of the effects of psychological interventions on symptoms of anxiety and measures of health-related quality of life and function is inconsistent. Current evidence suggests that psychological interventions have no significant effect on glycaemic control in people with diabetes and depression. Overall, available data are sparse and further, high quality RCTs are needed to confirm the observed treatment effects and to further investigate areas of uncertainty.