Psychiatric Status of Diabetic Youth in Good and Poor Control

Two groups -- identified as "good control" and "poor control" -- of 40 diabetic youth, between 6 years and 18 years, matched for age, sex and duration of diabetes, were interviewed by a child psychiatrist who was not aware of the status of their diabetic control. After each interview psychiatric diagnoses, interpersonal conflicts and noninterpersonal conflicts were determined. At the same time, mothers completed a children's behavioral-emotional symptom checklist. Six psychiatric diagnoses were made (7 1/2 per cent occurrence): four in the poor control group and two in the good control group, not a significant difference. Fifty per cent of the psychiatric diagnoses were found in the prepubertal girls who had the earliest onset of diabetes. A significantly greater number of patients in poor control had interpersonal conflicts compared with patients in the good control group. Mothers of patients in poor control had checked significantly more behaviors as slight and considerable-severe problems compared to mothers of patients in good control. Five per cent of the patients in good control and fifteen per cent of the patients in poor control stated that they experienced a "different" self-image because of their diabetes. The frequency of psychiatric diagnoses (7 1/2 per cent) for the entire group was not higher than literature reports of serious psychiatric disorders in normal population studies.