The Mental Status in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus Admitted to a Diabetes Clinic After Presenting in the Emergency Room: The Application of the SCL-90 Scale.

backgroundDiabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most serious public health problems, involving increasing costs worldwide. The mental state of a person with DM is varied and ever-changing, such as stress, the pressure to always do everything by the book, sadness, anger, and even denial of the disease, all these are feelings patients with DM will experience throughout their life.

aimThe aim of our study was to assess the presence of mental and psychiatric disorders (anxiety, depressive states, paranoid ideation, phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder) in a group of patients with DM after hospitalization in the Clinic for Diabetes, Nutrition, and Metabolic Diseases, for various exacerbations of the underlying condition, looking for possible correlations with other cardiovascular risk factors. PATIENTS AND

methodsClinical and biological parameters, the presence of acute and chronic complications of the diabetic patients have been evaluated. To assess mental health, the symptom checklist (SCL)-90 questionnaire was conducted for all admitted patients.

resultsWe observed that the number of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorders was relatively high (23.3%), while depression was present in 17.1% of the patients. Also, 10.6% of patients had hostility and 15.6% had delusional ideation. The presence of psychiatric disorders was associated with a higher age (62 vs. 46.5 years;

conclusionPatients with DM represent a psychologically vulnerable population, which is why they should undergo early and regular screening for both psychological and psychiatric conditions, especially at admission.