Chinese Expert Consensus on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Diabetes Comorbid with Depression

The comorbidity of diabetes and depression is relatively common in clinical practice,with a significant bidirectional association between the two conditions. This comorbid state not only increases the disease burden and treatment complexity but also severely impacts patients' quality of life and long-term prognosis. The shared pathophysiological mechanisms of diabetes and depression may involve neuroendocrine dysregulation, chronic inflammation, and unhealthy lifestyle factors. Currently, clinical management faces several major challenges: insufficient awareness and recognition of the comorbidity among healthcare providers often leads to underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis of depression; lack of effective interdisciplinary collaboration hampers the implementation of integrated care; and the absence of specific diagnostic and treatment guidelines both domestically and internationally results in a lack of standardized clinical practice. To address these issues, the Psychosomatic Endocrinology Collaboration Group of the Psychosomatic Medicine Society of the Chinese Medical Association, in collaboration with experts from endocrinology and metabolism, psychiatry, neurology, psychology, psychosomatic medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine, has developed the first Chinese Expert Consensus on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Diabetes Comorbid with Depression. This consensus systematically elaborates on the clinical features, pathophysiological mechanisms, assessment tools, and intervention strategies for the comorbidity, underscores the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration, proposes a standardized screening and diagnostic pathway, and provides specific recommendations for collaborative care. The release of this consensus aims to offer scientific and practical clinical guidance, improve the recognition and management of this comorbidity, and ultimately enhance overall patient care and long-term outcomes.