Introduction and Context
Diabetes distress — the emotional burden and worries arising from living with and managing diabetes — is common and strongly linked to self-care, quality of life and glycaemic outcomes. The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) has published a focused, evidence-based clinical practice guideline (Speight et al., 2026) on assessing and managing diabetes distress among adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). This guideline responds to growing recognition that routine medical care must include systematic attention to emotional well‑being and that interventions — psychological, educational and technology-based — can reduce distress.
The 2026 EASD guideline was developed with rigorous methods (EASD Standard Operating Procedure, GRADE methodology and RIGHT reporting standards), a multidisciplinary panel that included people with lived experience, and a commissioned systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). It issues Good Practice Statements on assessment and GRADE-based recommendations on management, tailored to T1D and T2D.
