Living with diabetes alongside a severe mental illness: A qualitative exploration with people with severe mental illness, family members and healthcare staff

Aims

Diabetes is 2‐3 times more prevalent in people with severe mental illness, yet little is known about the challenges of managing both conditions from the perspectives of people living with the comorbidity, their family members or healthcare staff. Our aim was to understand these challenges and to explore the circumstances that influence access to and receipt of diabetes care for people with severe mental illness.

Methods

Framework analysis of qualitative semi‐structured interviews with people with severe mental illness and diabetes, family members, and staff from UK primary care, mental health and diabetes services, selected using a maximum variation sampling strategy between April and December 2018.

Results

Thirty‐nine adults with severe mental illness and diabetes (three with type 1 diabetes, 36 with type 2 diabetes), nine family members, and 30 healthcare staff participated. Five themes were identified: 1) severe mental illness governs everyday life including diabetes management; 2) mood influences capacity and motivation for diabetes self‐management; 3) cumulative burden of managing multiple physical conditions; 4) interacting conditions and overlapping symptoms; 5) support for everyday challenges. People living with the comorbidity and their family members emphasised the importance of receiving support for the everyday challenges that impact diabetes management, and identified barriers to accessing this from healthcare providers.

Conclusions

More intensive support for diabetes management is needed when people’s severe mental illness (including symptoms of depression) or physical health deteriorates. Interventions that help people, including healthcare staff, distinguish between symptoms of diabetes and severe mental illness are also needed.