The number of diabetic patients has increased continually in recent years. A Multi-faceted Life Stress (MLS) Questionnaire was administered on patients with type 2 diabetes to detect a psychological pathogenesis of diabetes. The same questionnaire was administered also on patients with major depression and on healthy subjects, and the results of the three groups were compared. Next, correlation between HbA1c and each scale was investigated on the group of diabetic subjects to identify the cause of various mental symptoms, pathological characters and deteriorated life satisfaction of diabetic patients, i.e., whether such symptoms are attributed to diabetes or to an incidental result due to the development of diabetes. Furthermore, the new scales such as the serotonergic neurotropic scale, the dopaminergic neurotropic scale and the noradrenergic neurotropic scale were established based on temperaments and behaviors of the subjects figured out from the answers of the questionnaire, and differences between the three groups were investigated for each scale. At the same time, correlation between the new scales and HbA1c was investigated in the diabetic group. The diabetic group and the depression group showed higher pathological scales including a tendency of depression, while showing lower level of life satisfaction that indicates the level of happiness than the healthy group. On the other hand, unlike the depression group, the diabetic group had relatively low level of excessive personality adaptation and high level of aggressive personality. These two personalities were not correlated with the severity of diabetes. As a result of a comparison with the healthy group using the new scale, the diabetic group and the depression group showed lower serotonergic neurotropic scale and dopaminergic neurotropic scale, but showed higher noradrenergic neurotropic scale in diabetes, which was also found to have no correlation with HbA1c. From this investigation, psychological symptoms of diabetes, deteriorated life habits and satisfaction and their degrees can be a secondary effect of diabetes. However, it is considered that the primary causes of psychological pathogenesis of diabetes are attributed to aggressive personality and its associated hyperfunction of noradrenergic nerve. Therefore, a comprehensive approach for each phase of diabetes focusing on behavioral therapy is necessary while administering the (MLS) Questionnaire when we provide diabetic patients with lifestyle guidance and psychological advices.
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