 If you have diabetes, did you know that you're at a higher risk for depression? Hi, I'm Dr. Griffin Rodgers, director of the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases at NIH. In the U.S., people with diabetes are twice as likely to have depression. Researchers believe that the link between diabetes and depression may be related to the stress of managing diabetes. Researchers are also looking at the effects of diabetes on the body and the brain.