Psychological Variables and Hyperglycemia in Diabetes Mellitus (ALEXIDIAB)

Background:

Depression is common in patients with diabetes and is associated with impaired glycemic control and elevated cortisol levels. Alexithymia has been associated with depression, anxiety, stress related disorders and diabetes mellitus. Affect School (AS) is an intervention that may reduce depression and alexithymia according to previous research. Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT) is a stress-reducing technique and is used in psychiatric care in Scandinavia in order to improve psychiatric health.

Purpose:

The aims are to: 1. Analyze the prevalence of depression and anxiety and the personality variables alexithymia and self image in diabetes patients at baseline. 2. Explore correlations between these variables and risk factors, including biochemical markers for diabetic complications. 3. To evaluate an intervention with Affect School with Script Analysis and Basal Body Awareness Therapy in patients with diabetes that scored high in psychometric self-report tests and at the same time showed impaired metabolic control.

Method:

A randomized controlled trial in two steps. First step started in 2009 and consists of 350 people with diabetes, 90% with type 1 diabetes, 18-59 years, 56% men, 44% women. Base-line study: from medical records and the National Diabetes Registry - waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure, type and duration of diabetes, diabetes complications, other diseases, medications, exercise habits and smoking. Tests - A1c, blood lipids, cytokines, hormones, beta-cell antibodies, c-peptide, midnight cortisol (salivary). Self-report tests of psychological and personality variables: HAD, TAS-20, SASB. Intervention: patients with HbA1c >70 mmol/mol (A1c ≥ 8 %) and anxiety (HAD ≥ 8), depression (HAD ≥ 8), negative self-image (SASB: Affinity dimension <284) or alexithymia (TAS-20 ≥ 61) were randomized to AS or BBA. AS: 8 group sessions followed by 10 individual sessions. Instructors were a primary care physician and a psychotherapist. BBA: 10 group meetings and 5individual sessions with a physiotherapist as instructor. Post intervention: Self report tests, A1c, cortisol.

Second step will start in 2015: Recruitment of 350 people from primary care with type 2 diabetes with high A1c and either depression, alexithymia, negative self image or anxiety. Randomization procedures and patient characteristics will be assessed in the same way as above.