Diabulimia is a term used to describe an eating disorder in a diabetic person, typically type I diabetes, in which the person purposefully restricts insulin in order to lose weight.
Some medical professionals use the acronym ED-DMT1, which stands for Eating Disorder-Diabetes Mellitus Type 1, to refer to any type of eating disorder that is co-occurring with type 1 diabetes.
It has been known as “the world’s most dangerous eating disorder,” and it affects far more patients and doctors than most people realize.
Unfortunately, even diabetes experts can have a limited understanding of this isolating and debilitating condition, and proper treatment may be difficult to come by.
Diabulimia patients purposefully take less insulin than they require in order to lose weight. It, like other eating disorders, is characterized in part by toxic attitudes toward food, weight, and body image.
The practice is extremely dangerous because the level of hyperglycemia required to cause weight loss carries enormous short- and long-term risks. Diabulimia is a potentially fatal condition.
What Is Diabulimia?
Diabulimia is an eating disorder in which type 1 diabetes patients use less insulin to lose weight.
If it isn’t obvious, the name is a portmanteau of diabetes and bulimia. Bulimia nervosa is a vicious disorder in which patients alternate bingeing with self-induced vomiting, diarrhea, or fasting, all while holding unhealthy beliefs about how much body shape and weight define one’s self-worth.
Diabulimia is a type of bulimia that only affects people with type 1 diabetes. People with diabulimia lose weight quickly by embracing dangerous levels of hyperglycemia rather than purging through vomiting or other means. It can quickly lead to serious complications.
Symptoms of Diabulimia
Some of the common symptoms of diabulimia are:
- Neglecting diabetes care and management
- Being secretive about diabetes management
- Being afraid of low blood glucose levels
- A drastic change in the diet
- Anxious about appearance
- Avoid eating in front of friends and family
Health Consequences of Diabulimia
The human body is surprisingly resilient, and people suffering from diabulimia frequently manage to function with significantly higher blood sugar levels than should be possible. Thus, the most serious consequences of diabulimia or ED-DMT1 are usually associated with prolonged high blood sugar levels. Because these complications can be severe and irreversible, prompt treatment and detection are critical.
Prevention and Treatment of Diabulimia
On how to treat diabulimia, there is no professional consensus or guideline. Treatment normally entails the collaboration of a number of experts from many professions and might take months or years to complete.
Diabulimia lacks its own diagnostic code, hence a person’s precise diagnosis will be determined by their eating disorder behaviors. Insulin omission is classified as a purging behavior in the DSM-5, therefore it could be labeled as bulimia nervosa if the person binges and subsequently restricts insulin.
If the person is eating normally but restricting insulin, it is classified as a purging disorder; if the person is severely restricting both food and insulin, it is diagnosed as anorexia nervosa. Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders is another name for diabulimia (OSFED).
It’s critical to stress the importance of self-destructive esteem and body image issues in the illness. Young ladies with diabulimia don’t just have a misunderstanding about the dangers of insulin restriction.
A multidisciplinary team is required to address the many entangled issues present with diabulimia or ED-DMT1, regardless of where someone is in their eating disorder or recovery. An endocrinologist, a dietitian with knowledge of both diabetes and eating disorders, and a mental health professional who specializes in eating disorders are the best options for a patient.
If the treatment team recommends a higher level of care, it is critical to select a diabulimia/ED-DMT1 treatment center. Patients and healthcare providers can request that a center review insulin reintroduction protocols, diabetes management, and diabetes staff training to determine a center’s true level of expertise.
It’s critical to find a treatment center that specializes in diabulimia/ED-DMT1 if the treatment team suggests a higher level of care.
To determine a center’s true level of expertise, patients and healthcare providers can request to review insulin reintroduction protocols, diabetes management, and diabetes staff training, or contact Diabulimia Helpline, which has a nationwide referral database for both centers and providers with experience in both diabetes and eating disorders.
Monitor Blood Glucose Levels Regularly
Keeping blood sugar under control is a crucial part of diabetes management! Use a glucometer machine to monitor blood sugar anytime, anywhere!
