A senior health expert has emphasised the need for integrating mental health into the care and management of chronic diseases, especially diabetes, as people living with this health condition are two to three times more vulnerable to suffer from psychological problems than the general population.

Prof Abdul Basit said this while speaking at a dialogue on diabetes and depression organised by the Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) as the first episode of ‘HealthWise’ — a quarterly initiative exclusively designed for media professionals — on Tuesday.

Prof Basit, a senior diabetologist and director of the Indus Diabetes and Endocrinology Center (IDEC) at IHHN at the hospital’s Korangi campus, focused on the often-overlooked link between diabetes and depression — a growing public health challenge in Pakistan.

Drawing from national data and clinical experience, he shared that Pakistan has over 33 million people living with diabetes, and 30 to 40 per cent of them are also grappling with depression and mental stress.