Exploring the mind-body connection in patients with diabetes and hypertension

Background: Physical examinations are the most common method used to assess overall health in patients with chronic illnesses. Less attention is given to the role played by mental health in these patients' overall health.

Objective: To understand the relationship between mental health and the overall health of patients with diabetes and hypertension at a community health center in a medically underserved area.

Methods: We collected physical and mental health information from patients with diabetes and hypertension from four different ethnic groups (African American, Latino, Vietnamese and white) in orally-administered epidemiological surveys (N=291). Further information was gathered through focus groups (N=48).

Results and Discussion: When self-reported overall health was compared to the incidence of mental health problems in a month, out of a total of 286 valid cases, the 67 participants (23%) who considered their overall health to be poor had on average the greatest number of poor mental health days. The 86 participants (30%) who considered their health to be “good” or better had on average the fewest number of poor mental health days. The number of days in a month with poor physical health was significantly correlated with the number of days with poor mental health (r=0.41, p= <.0001). From focus groups we learned that mental health problems can be both the cause of poor physical health as well as a consequence of it. These findings indicate that there is a strong relationship between mental, physical and overall health in this low-income, ethnically diverse population.