Abstract

Diabetes is becoming the epidemic of the 21st century and a challenge to global health. It becomes imperative to face this situation with a different approach. Brief group psychotherapy is oriented towards the psychodynamic comprehension of current determinants of the situation of the disease to achieve an adequate adaptation to a new situation that the patient will live. In this study we describe the effect of group psychotherapy with a psychodynamic approach in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and its possible relationship with glucose levels.

This was a qualitative study of patients with DM2 diagnosed in a period of less than 6 months, without psychological treatment. There were eight patients in the study group and eight patients in the comparison group. Psychotherapy was directed with the scheme proposed by Pichón Riviere. Three-hour sessions was held twice weekly for three months. The Beck Depression Inventory was applied at the beginning of the study and at the end. In addition, monthly glycosylated hemoglobin tests were performed in all patients. The cutoff point for glycosylated hemoglobin levels was ≤ 6.5 and ≥ 6.5 considering these patients with glucose control and without glucose control, respectively. There were 16 patients in the study, 75% were women and 25% men with a mean age of 54.3 and 45.3 years in the intervention group and the comparison group, respectively. Mean disease evolution was 2.8 and 4.5 months in the intervention and comparison group, respectively. Glucose levels were out of control in all patients in both groups at the beginning of the study, but at the end only 25% in the intervention group were without glycemic control versus 75% in the control group. We consider that the application of group psychotherapy with a psychodynamic approach is a new and innovative management strategy that is a feasible tool in its implementation and cost-benefit for newly diagnosed patients with type 2 DM.

Keywords: Diabetes Mellitus; Psychotherapy; Diabetes Treatment; Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

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