Katherine Chapman, Emilee Cornelius, Madison White, Wendy A. Wolf, Caitlin Kelly

Introduction and Objective: People with T1D are more likely to experience anxiety and depression than those without T1D. We aimed to evaluate perceptions and desire for diabetes-related mental health support among adults with T1D.

Methods: Adult participants (N=1685) from the T1D Exchange Registry completed an online survey about their perceptions of and desires for support from their diabetes healthcare providers (DHCPs). Questions were asked about overall mental health, anxiety, depression, and whether their DHCPs discussed mental health with them. Participants then answered an open-ended question about their preferences for additional support from their DHCPs. Descriptives (means, frequencies) are presented for quantitative variables. Open-ended responses were categorically coded into support preferences.

Results: Most participants had a diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety (58%), but fewer participants reported they received current depression or anxiety treatment ( 41%). Only 24% of participants rated their mental health as worse than ‘fair’ or ‘poor’. Participants’ open-ended responses about their preferences for mental health support from their DHCPs were sorted into four categories presented in Table 1.

Conclusion: Results suggest that anxiety and depression are not discussed frequently or memorably in routine diabetes care. Moreover, adults with T1D desire greater support from DHCPs.

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