Introduction: Diabetes is an important concern for health in the world, which in case of coexisting with anxiety, depression, stress, and an unhealthy lifestyle,it will increase the extent of its severity and complications. Modification of the lifestyle of people with diabetes can improve the psychological distress of the patients, and consequently, the prognosis of the disease. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the effect of lifestyle education based on the BASNEF model and the World Health Organization model on psychological distress in patients with type II diabetes. Methods: This extended semi-experimental multi-group study was conducted based on pretest-posttest design with a follow-up, as well as one control and two experimental groups. Three months after the post-test, all three groups were followed up. The statistical population included all patients with type II diabetes referred to the Endocrinology Department of Imam Khomeini Hospital in 2021. From a list of 100 people with diabetes, 60 cases were identified, and then, 45 subjects were randomly selected and allocated into one control and two experimental groups. DASS-21 was used to collect the required data, and the obtained data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 26) through mixed repeated measures ANOVA. Results: The results indicated the effect of both models on anxiety (P=0. 001), depression (P=0. 001), and stress (P=0. 001), as well as the stability of this effect at the follow-up. Lifestyle education based on the BASNEF model reduced the amount of depression more (P=0. 025), compared to the model by the WHO,however, the difference between the two groups was not significant regarding anxiety and stress. Conclusion: The results indicated the effectiveness of both educational models and the superiority of the BASENF educational model in psychological distress among patients with type II diabetes. Therefore, lifestyle education as an adjunctive treatment in people with type II diabetes seems necessary.