Diabetes and Depression...What is the significance of this?

I was reading an article in my Medical Journal today and this article highlighted a recent US study that showed that people who have diabetes and depression have a higher chance of a heart attack than those without either condition.  It was probably not too difficult to predict this finding as depression affects us in multiple ways, including our motivation, eating habits, relationships, immune health, compliance with treatment, internal body regulation, and our own lifestyle in general, which then can adversely affect our coexisting chronic health issue.

This highlights to us that in order for our health to be managed well, we need to address our physical health, our mind health, and our relationship health altogether.  This is what we, as Family Physicians refer to as the biopsychosocial approach to healthcare.