Abstract:

With the epidemic proportions of diabetes and mood disorder, their interconnection continues to be investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between diabetes and mood disorder, the type of treatment sought for mood disorder when diabetes co-occurred, and the relationship of treatment provider to the presence or absence of insurance in Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants in Fresno County, California. Using data from the Mexican American Prevalence and Services Survey (MAPSS), a Pearson product-moment correlation, chi-square goodness-of-fit, and contingency test showed no relationship between diabetes and mood disorder, and equal likelihood of treatment modality and no relationship to presence or absence of insurance. Most interesting in the statistical analysis was that 67% of the mood disorder and diabetes sample did not seek either mental or general practitioner treatment for mental health symptoms. This may indicate that the type of provider is less of a concern than is the likelihood of accessing treatment in general.