Diabulimia - what is it?
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The first time I encountered the term was in the program of one of the foreign conferences dedicated to eating disorders and I thought - what is this new star in the seemingly well-known constellation of eating disorders? What new news? As it turned out, the phenomenon is being actively studied, there are foreign publications, studies and articles. Most people have heard of anorexia, bulimia, and even binge eating disorder , but few make the connection between eating disorders and type 1 diabetes. The term diabulimia (also known as ED-DMT1) is an eating disorder in which people with type 1 diabetes intentionally restrict their insulin intake in order to lose weight. Insulin injections help people with type 1 diabetes absorb glucose, which can either be converted into energy or stored as fat. When insulin is stopped, the body excretes glucose in the urine. Instead, it uses energy by breaking down stored body fat, which leads to weight loss. But it also has serious health consequences and can be life-threatening. Without insulin, people with type 1 diabetes can experience anything from exhaustion and nausea to diabetic ketoacidosis , coma, and even death. Despite its notoriety in the diabetic and eating disorder communities, diabulimia is not technically a mental disorder like anorexia or bulimia. Doctors prefer not to know what to do about it and what it is. As a result, diabulimia often goes undiagnosed and untreated. "Because people suffering from diabulimia "It's just a small population within a small population," says Erin Akers . Akers , CEO of the Diabulimia Helpline , "nobody talks about it and nobody really cares." Diabulimia is not as well known as other eating disorders because it affects a relatively small population. The main problem is the lack of awareness among both patients and health care providers about what it is. What to do and where to run? And is it possible to recover completely? It is possible and necessary, although it takes quite a lot of time and effort. It is clear that if there is exhaustion of the body or a mental crisis, clinical depression, medical assistance in a hospital is necessary. In the future, supportive psychotherapy , preferably individual in combination with group therapy. Unfortunately, we do not yet have such powerful organizations ready to provide comprehensive assistance as the same NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) or American Anorexia Bulimia Association (AABA), but more and more specialists are working with eating disorders efficiently. I want to believe that in the near future there will be more of them and more specialized centers will appear. |