Challenges in the management of depressive disorders comorbid with tuberculosis and type 2 diabetes.

Purpose of review: The aim of this study was to address the most relevant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in the management of depressive disorders among patients with diabetes mellitus and tuberculosis (TB).

Recent findings: Depressive disorder, diabetes mellitus and TB are considered important contributors to the global burden of diseases with an emphasis on developing countries. Depressive disorder increases the chance of negative outcomes during the treatment of both diabetes mellitus and TB, while biological and adaptive changes due to diabetes mellitus and TB increase in turn the chance of depressive disorder.

Summary: In this review, we present major challenges in the management of depressive disorder among patients with TB and diabetes mellitus, from detection and clinical diagnosis using appropriate diagnostic tools, to selecting the best psychotherapeutic and/or pharmacological intervention, considering the potential, adverse events and interactions due to potential polypharmacy.