POMC and diabetes mellitus: Notably, various studies have associated alterations in hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis function with persons with diabetes, showing elevated CORT concentrations, impaired feedback mechanisms with evidence of dysregulated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion, and imbalanced catecholamine levels—epinephrine (EPI) and norepinephrine (NE)—which may contribute to the development of depressive and anxiety symptoms [16,17,18,19,20].