ABSTRACT
Diabetes and depression are both incurable chronic diseases， which are complementary and integrated. They are clinically called diabetic depression. A large number of epidemiological and clinical studies have confirmed that diabetes interacts with depression， leading to complex conditions of diabetic depression， difficult treatment， and poor prognosis. Diabetes and depression are considered two independent diseases in the majority of the existing clinical methods for the treatment of diabetic depression， with many defects such as low efficiency and severe side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） treatment of diabetic depression， characterized by multiple targets， multiple pathways， and overall coordination， can adjust the synergy between multiple systems of the body and is advantageous in the treatment of diabetic depression. However， the evaluation of the efficacy of TCM in the treatment of diabetic depression is mostly limited to the improvement of clinical symptoms， the control of blood sugar level， and the score of depression scale， and there is a lack of in-depth research on the mechanism of action. Therefore， many researchers are devoted to exploring the underlying mechanism of TCM in the treatment of diabetes combined with depression. Clarifying the comorbidity mechanism is the key in treating diabetic depression. In this study， we made an introduction according to the mechanism based on the relevant research reports on the treatment of diabetic depression with TCM and summarized its specific mechanisms， including insulin resistance， oxidative stress and inflammation， and nervous system disorder. The interaction between the various mechanisms has further aggravated the complexity of diabetic depression. We have drawn a diagram of the mechanism pathways of diabetic depression in order to provide new ideas for clinical diagnosis and treatment.