Should diabetes services routinely screen for psychological distress?

The prevalence of depression, anxiety and eating disorders is higher in people with diabetes than the general population. Such psychological distress significantly increases the risk of developing diabetes‐related complications accompanied by increased health care costs. People with diabetes have clearly stated that increasing psychological support is a priority issue. Many professionals share this view and it is generally accepted that doing nothing is not a good option. However, it would appear lack of time, training and services that are accessible and acceptable to patients has resulted in ambivalence about whether diabetes teams should routinely screen for psychological distress. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons.