Screening for Depression and Well-Being among Patients with Diabetes in an Outpatient Diabetic Clinic at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Aim: Depression is a common and severe medical condition with a lifetime occurrence in economically low-income countries around 11% to 15% in high-income countries. In this study, we aimed to screen depression and well-being among patients with diabetes in Saudi Arabia. Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted among 185 (age range 18-75yrs) patients with diabetes at the Diabetes Treatment Center, Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The depression level was measured using a psychological screening scale, the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the World Health Organization Well-being Index (WHO-5)used to assess psychological well-being. In addition to screening the depression, demographic variables, diabetes-related complications, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and type of medications used for treatment were also collected. Results: According to PHQ-9, a higher percentage of the study population possess mild (29.7%) depression, 21.6% moderate, 12.4% moderate to severe, and 7.6% have severe depression. Further,significantly higher mean scores of depression were observed among insulin pump users (p = 0.044), patients with macrovascular complications (p = 0.049) and patients with long duration of diabetes (p = 0.041).According to the WHO-5 screening scale, significantly lower mean scores of mental well-beingwere observed among insulin pump users (p = 0.008), patients with macrovascular complications (p = 0.032) and patients with long duration of diabetes (p = 0.044).A positive correlation was observed between WHO-5 and PHQ-9 (R2 =0.52). Conclusions:A higher number of patients with diabetes have mild to severe depression and a lower level of mental well-being. These findings could be of immense assistance to the government, healthcare systems, educational institutions, and researchers to develop evidence-based programs, policies, and guidelines for increasing the knowledge and awareness about depression among diabetes, so that primary detection and management can be ensured to control the escalating burden of depression among diabetes in Saudi Arabia.