Improving the mental health of Australian adults with diabetes

The need

There are over 1.5 million Australian living with diabetes in Australia. Approximately 750,000 will experience mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety or diabetes distress. These challenges can make diabetes harder to manage and increase the risk of complications. Despite this, mental health is not addressed in diabetes care, and many people miss out on support. We also lack national, long‑term data to understand how mental health changes over time for people with diabetes, and when support is most needed.

About

MIND-MAP (Mental Health IN Diabetes – Monitoring And Pathways) is a large national study following thousands of Australian adults with diabetes over several years. Participants complete regular surveys about their mental health, wellbeing and support needs. By tracking patterns over time, the study will identify different mental health journeys, risk and protective factors, and key points where early support could make the biggest difference. People living with diabetes are closely involved in guiding the study to ensure it stays relevant and useful.

Impact

This study will:

• Improve our understanding of mental health across the course of diabetes
• Identify people who may benefit from early support
• Develop of a mental health and diabetes resource hub for early support
• Provide recommendations for clearer, more accessible pathways to mental health care in diabetes services
• Lead to more person-centred diabetes care
• Generate evidence to inform policy, planning, and future services

Funding

Our funding is pooled from a number of organisations and research funds:

• National Health and Medical Research Council (Investigator Grant, 2025–2029)