Glycemic Control No Worse in Diabetic Patients Who Also Have Psychiatric Illness

Diabetic patients with serious mental illness are more than twice burdened, because many psychiatric medications contribute to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Chronically ill psychiatric patients have high rates of comorbid diabetes mellitus and premature mortality, and clinicians are ever more attentive to monitoring and educating patients about the general medical risks. Therefore, just how well these patients actually care for their diabetes is of considerable concern. In a 5-year study, researchers assessed changes in glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA_1c) levels in 201 patients with type 2 diabetes and a serious mental illness, recruited from psychiatric clinics, and in 99 patients with type 2 diabetes and no mental disorder in the…