Publications

BDI along with colleagues in the field of diabetes health and mental well being are continuously working on research projects to further improve the lives of people living with diabetes worldwide.

Understanding the sources of diabetes distress in adults with type 1 diabetes

Authors: Fisher, L., Polonsky, WH., Hessler, DM., Masharani, U., Blumer, I., Peters, AL., Strycher, LA., Bowyer, V. Abstract Aims: To identify the unique sources of diabetes distress (DD) for adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Methods: Sources of DD were developed from qualitative interviews with 25 T1D adults and 10 diabetes health care providers. Survey items were then developed and

Read More »

Causal and bidirectional linkages over time between depression and diabetes regimen distress in adults with type 2 diabetes

Authors: Hessler, D., Fisher, L., Strycker, LA., Arean, PA., Bowyer, V. Abstract Aims: Diabetes regimen distress (RD) and depression are related constructs, however the nature of their relationship has not been explored over time, leading to difficulties differentiating between RD and depression and for selection of programs of care. We examined longitudinal associations between RD and depression to explicate the

Read More »

The confusing tale of depression and distress in patients with diabetes: a call for greater clarity and precision

Authors: Fisher, L. Gonzalez, JS. , Polonsky, WH. Abstract Studies have identified significant linkages between depression and diabetes, with depression associated with poor self-management behaviour, poor clinical outcomes and high rates of mortality. However, findings are not consistent across studies, yielding confusing and contradictory results about these relationships. We suggest that there has been a failure to define and measure

Read More »

What is so tough about self-monitoring of blood glucose? Perceived obstacles among patients with Type 2 diabetes

Authors:  Polonsky, WH. Fisher, L., Hessler, D., Edelman, SV. Abstract Aims: To identify patient-reported obstacles to self-monitoring of blood glucose among those with Type 2, both insulin users and non-insulin users, and to investigate how obstacles are associated with frequency of self-monitoring and use of self-monitoring data. Methods: Patients with Type 2 diabetes (n = 886, 65% insulin users) who attended

Read More »

Changes in A1C levels are significantly associated with changes in levels of the cardiovascular risk biomarker hs-CRP: results from the SteP study

Authors: Schnell, O., Amann-Zalan, I., Jelsovsky, Z., Moritz, A., Bermejo, JL., Parkin, CG., Schweitzer, MA., Fisher, L., Polonsky, WH. Abstract Objective: The effect of therapeutic strategies on cardiovascular (CV) disease can be evaluated by monitoring changes in CV risk biomarkers. This study investigated the effect of a structured self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) protocol and the resulting improvements in glycemic

Read More »

Self-monitoring of blood glucose in noninsulin-using type 2 diabetic patients: right answer, but wrong question: self-monitoring of blood glucose can be clinically valuable for noninsulin users

Authors: Polonsky, WH., Fisher, L. Abstract Given the importance of glycemic control in the development of diabetes complications, the plethora of tools now available to monitor the day-to-day trends in glycemia is remarkable. In this regard, self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) has been considered a key component of patient management. Arguably, there remains almost universal agreement that SMBG should be

Read More »

The impact of structured blood glucose testing on attitudes toward self-management among poorly controlled, insulin-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes

Authors: Fisher, L., Polonsky, WH., Parkin, CG., Jelsovsky, Z., Petersen, B., Wagner, RS. Abstract Introduction: Patients with T2DM often view self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) as burdensome and pointless, which may affect their broader attitudes toward diabetes management. We examined how a structured SMBG protocol influenced diabetes self-efficacy and autonomous motivation over time, and linked these to changes in glycemic

Read More »

When is diabetes distress clinically meaningful?: establishing cut points for the Diabetes Distress Scale

Authors: Fisher, L., Hessler, DM., Polonsky, WH., Mullan, J. Abstract Objective: To identify the pattern of relationships between the 17-item Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS17) and diabetes variables to establish scale cut points for high distress among patients with type 2 diabetes. Research design and methods: Recruited were 506 study 1 and 392 study 2 adults with type 2 diabetes from

Read More »

A survey of blood glucose monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes: are recommendations from health care professionals being followed?

Authors: Polonsky, WH., Fisher, L., Hessler, D., Edelman, SV. Abstract Objective: To survey the self-reported use of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), both insulin users (IUs) and non-insulin users (NIUs), in the United States and to examine: how often patients test; what SMBG instructions patients report receiving from their health care providers (HCPs);

Read More »

Are patients’ initial experiences at the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes associated with attitudes and self-management over time?

AUTHORS: Polonsky, WH., Fisher, L., Guzman, S., Sieber, WJ., Philis-Tsimikas, A., Edelman, SV Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate patients’ experiences when diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and diabetes-related distress and self-management years later. Method One hundred seventy-nine adults with type 2 diabetes, 1 to 5 years after diagnosis, completed a questionnaire assessing what they were

Read More »

I'm looking for information about...

Behavioral-Diabetes-Institute_Couples

For People with Diabetes

For Healthcare Professionals

Community Resources

Scales and Measures

Scales & Measures

Behavioral-Diabetes-Institute_Icons-Mental-Health

Diabetes Distress Assessment

BDI Monthly Events

July 9Case Consultation
BDI hosts the San Diego-wide, monthly case consultation meeting (for mental health professionals working in the field of diabetes). Contact us at [email protected] if you are in the greater San Diego area and would like further information about this program.
July 18Grownup T1D
July 18: Time for another T1D meet-up! GrownupT1Ds, a wonderful nonprofit here in southern California, is teaming up with TCOYD and BDI for a special Friday afternoon (3 pm - 6 pm) you won’t want to miss. Dr. Edelman (famed endocrinologist, TCOYD Founder and living with T1D) and Dr. Polonsky (BDI President) will be speaking, and it will be a chance to hang out with other adults with T1D. The event will be held at TCOYD, 5720 Oberlin Drive, Suite 150, San Diego, CA 92121. While the event is free, space is limited, so please RSVP https://grownupt1ds.org/.
August 8-10TCOYD ONE
August 8 – 10. Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD) will be hosting the in-person ONE event, an amazing weekend experience here in San Diego for more than 500 people with type 1 diabetes and their loved ones. Dr. Polonsky is honored to be one of the presenters, and we will hope to see many of you there. There are still a few spaces left, so if you’d like to know more, please visit: https://tcoyd.org/one-2025/

Publications

BDI along with colleagues in the field of diabetes health and mental well being are continuously working on research projects

Read More