Depression or Diabetes Distress?

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to summarize the need for improved recognition of depression versus diabetes distress and discuss recommendations for appropriate screening tools. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: In order to assess for both depression and diabetes distress, a combined approach of using both the WHO-5 and the PAID-20 is a simple and reliable method for detecting depression and assisting in determining the focus of specific aspects of diabetes management based on the patient's reported depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Routine screening for depression and diabetes distress is essential for improving quality of life and reducing healthcare cost in patients with diabetes.