Diabetes

I came across and interesting article yesterday about diabetes. This study is about one problem that people with a mental disability have. I wrote before that people with a mental disability die twenty five years younger than the general population. One disease they get most often is diabetes. This article confirms what has been written about before.
In the article they are not sure if the medications cause weight gain to happen, and is the primary cause of diabetes. The second reason they are not sure of it is the medicine actually causing the diabetes or is it the weight gain. They really have to look into that aspect. Being mentally ill know this is important to find out which is causing diabetes. If it is the medicine even if you lost weight you would not be able to be free of diabetes. “The department review included drugs sold under the brand names Abilify, Clozaril,Geodon, Reisperdal and Zyprexa.”

They do know this is a big issue. What they do not know is if people were predisposed of getting diabetes before the medication or is it just the result of the medication. This is a quote from the article “In fiscal 2005 -- the 12-month period ending June 30 of that year -- 67,395 adults ages 18-64 were enrolled in Vermont's Medicaid system. Of those, 5,445 got prescriptions for one of the antipsychotic drugs, and 547 of those patients -- a bit more than 10 percent -- also had diabetes, the department's report said.”
I hope they find out soon although I do not know much of a difference it will make. Reading from schizophrenics about their illness, it would seem they would still continue to take the medication because it helps. Diabetes would just be another side effect. Although it could help researchers if it is the medication causing diabetes to find a way to take that side effect out of medication so we have medication that does not cause this side effect.
On a different note I am including this article on genius's that had mental illness.