Diabulimia causes: environmental and biological factors

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Diabulimia is a complex and dangerous eating disorder that involves the deliberate underuse or restriction of insulin in people with Type I diabetes as an attempt to control or lose weight.

As is true for all eating disorders, diabulimia doesn’t have a single cause. Instead, the interaction of several biological, psychological, and social factors likely contributes to the development of diabulimia.

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Last updated on

April 10, 2024

Diabulimia

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Diabulimia causes: Biological factors

Environmental factors of diabulimia

Diabulimia causes: environmental factors

Finding appropriate care for diabulimia

Diabulimia is a serious eating disorder that requires appropriate care, but treating diabulimia can be particularly difficult due to the complexities involved in both diabetes management and eating disorder recovery.

Often, treating this type of condition requires a multidisciplinary approach from a team with knowledge of both eating disorders and diabetes. Special care needs to be taken to ensure that someone can develop healthier mental health outlooks and coping mechanisms while maintaining the physical regimen required to control their blood sugar and insulin levels.

Generally, the main priorities of treatment include stabilizing eating behaviors, maintaining optimal glucose control, and addressing issues involved with purging or, in the case of diabulimia, intentional insulin restriction.³

If you or a loved one are struggling with diabulimia or another eating disorder, it's important to seek out help.

Contacting your primary care physician or therapist is a good place to start. These experts can help you determine your next best steps and may be able to recommend specific programs or treatment courses.

Remote treatment is available

Within Health gives you the opportunity to work with a multidisciplinary team, who will create individualized treatment plans that can be followed entirely remotely. Contact us today to see how we may be able to help.

Get help today

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Disclaimer about "overeating": Within Health hesitatingly uses the word "overeating" because it is the term currently associated with this condition in society, however, we believe it inherently overlooks the various psychological aspects of this condition which are often interconnected with internalized diet culture, and a restrictive mindset about food. For the remainder of this piece, we will therefore be putting "overeating" in quotations to recognize that the diagnosis itself pathologizes behavior that is potentially hardwired and adaptive to a restrictive mindset.

Disclaimer about weight loss drugs: Within does not endorse the use of any weight loss drug or behavior and seeks to provide education on the insidious nature of diet culture. We understand the complex nature of disordered eating and eating disorders and strongly encourage anyone engaging in these behaviors to reach out for help as soon as possible. No statement should be taken as healthcare advice. All healthcare decisions should be made with your individual healthcare provider.