Text Link

Learn more about the results we get at Within

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Learn more about the results we get at Within

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Diabulimia causes: environmental and biological factors

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.

5
 minute read
Last updated on 
April 10, 2024
April 10, 2024
In this article

Diabulimia causes: Biological factors

Family history of diabetes or eating disorders
Co-occurring mental disorders
Weight gain due to insulin injections

Environmental factors of diabulimia

Diabetes management
Difficulty regulating emotions

Diabulimia causes: environmental factors

History of trauma
Cultural and societal pressure

{{link-bank-two-column}}

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


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.

Resources

  1. Berrettini, W. (2004). The genetics of eating disorders. Psychiatry, 1(3), 18–25.
  2. Miller, M. N., & Pumariega, A. J. (2001). Culture and eating disorders: a historical and cross-cultural review. Psychiatry, 64(2), 93–110.
  3. Brewerton, T. D. (2007). Eating disorders, trauma, and comorbidity: focus on PTSD. Eating Disorders, 15(4), 285–304.
  4.  Kınık, M. F., Gönüllü, F. V., Vatansever, Z., & Karakaya, I. (2017). Diabulimia, a Type I diabetes mellitus-specific eating disorder. Turkish Archives of Pediatrics, 52(1), 46–49.
  5. Type 1 Diabetes. MedlinePlus. Accessed January 2024.
  6. Himmerich, H., Kan, C., Au, K., Treasure, J. (2021). Pharmacological treatment of eating disorders, comorbid mental health problems, malnutrition and physical health consequences. Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 217, 107667.
  7. Russell-Jones, D., & Khan, R. (2007). Insulin-associated weight gain in diabetes--causes, effects and coping strategies. Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism, 9(6), 799–812.
  8. Ruscitti, C., Rufino, K., Goodwin, N., & Wagner, R. (2016). Difficulties in emotion regulation in patients with eating disorders. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 3, 3.
  9. Eating Disorders and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. (n.d.). National Eating Disorders Association. Accessed January 2024.
  10. Levallius, J., Clinton, D., Backstrom, M., Norring, C. (2015). Who do you think you are? - Personality in eating disordered patients. Journal of Eating Disorders, 3. 
  11. Marks, R. J., De Foe, A., Collett, J. (2020). The pursuit of wellness: Social media, body image and eating disorders. Children and Youth Services Review, 119, 105659.
  12. Shaban, C. (2013). Diabulimia: a mental health condition or media hyperbole? Practical Diabetes, 30, 3.

FAQs

Further reading

Diabetes and eating disorders

Diabetes and eating disorders are both serious conditions that can negatively affect a person’s physical...

Diabulimia causes: environmental and biological factors

Diabulimia is a complex and dangerous eating disorder that involves the deliberate underuse or restriction...

Diabulimia treatment & recovery

Diabulimia is a complex eating disorder that involves the deliberate underuse or restriction of insulin in...

Diabulimia symptoms and warning signs

Diabulimia is an eating disorder that occurs in people with Type 1 diabetes where...

What is diabulimia?

Diabulimia is an eating disorder that people with Type 1 diabetes exhibit by lowering...

Further reading

No items found.