Abstract
Diabetic patients are twice as likely as non-diabetic individuals to have depression. However, approximately 50 percent of diabetic patients with depression remain undiagnosed and untreated. Co-morbid depression is associated with worsened glycemic control, more rapid and severe development of complications, more frequent hospital admissions, and poorer adherence to diabetic self-care management. Screening tools, such as self-assessment questionnaires, can significantly increase the detection rate of those that have undiagnosed and untreated depression (Hermanns et al., 2013). The purpose of this project was to implement routine depression screening for adult diabetic patients in a primary care clinic in the Midwestern United States. Adult diabetic patients in a primary care clinic were administered a self-assessment questionnaire to assess for the presence of depression. 12 out of 14 patients screened positive for depression, but only one patient accepted treatment. Although a small sample size was used in this project, 86 percent of patients screened positive for depression, warranting the need for additional research.