{"id":13166,"date":"2019-02-22T07:00:10","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T07:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dbhids2021.wpengine.com\/?p=13166"},"modified":"2021-01-28T22:51:38","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T03:51:38","slug":"when-eating-disorders-and-diabetes-collide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthymindsphilly.org\/dev\/blog\/when-eating-disorders-and-diabetes-collide\/","title":{"rendered":"When Eating Disorders and Diabetes Collide"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

National Eating Disorders Awareness<\/a> week highlights the movement toward inclusivity of all individuals and communities who are affected by eating disorders. Eating Disorders Awareness week is an opportunity to start the conversation around eating disorders, to learn, connect with others, share stories, and get support.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

So what is an eating disorder anyway? First, eating disorders are NOT a lifestyle choice. They are complex mental illnesses with serious medical complications and can be life threatening. It is estimated that 20 million women and 10 million men in America will have an eating disorder at some point in their lives.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.<\/strong> Eating disorders do not discriminate, as they affect people of all ages, race, ethnicity, body sizes and genders. We don\u2019t know for sure what causes an eating disorder, but there seems to be biological, psychological, and social risk factors that combine to form the perfect storm for an eating disorder to develop. These include, but are not limited to the following:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Diabetes and Eating Disorders<\/strong> Diabetes is a chronic illness with treatment that involves reading food labels, counting carbohydrates, focusing on portion sizes, and maintaining a healthy body weight. Along with a diabetes diagnosis comes an increased risk of mental health issues<\/a> like anxiety and depression, which may contribute to feeling worse about one\u2019s body shape or size. This can be overwhelming. The psychological challenges of living with a chronic illness that requires an intense focus on food and weight can be a gateway to the development of an eating disorder.\u00a0 In fact, research shows that women with type 1 diabetes are more than twice as likely to develop an eating disorder as those without diabetes. This includes anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorders.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Healthcare professionals in the field refer to co-occurring diabetes and eating disorders as ED-DMT1. Individuals with type 2 diabetes can also develop eating disorders with binge eating disorder the most common. Binge eating disorder may also be a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes and vice versa.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Diabulimia <\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The most common eating disorder in those with type 1 diabetes is known as \u201cdiabulimia\u201d. This term was created by the media and is used to describe intentional insulin omission for the purpose of weight control which is considered a \u201cpurging\u201d behavior. It is estimated that one third of adolescent girls and young adult women engage in this type of symptom use. The term \u201cdiabulimia\u201d is not an official diagnosis, but has been useful in raising awareness of a very dangerous type of eating disorder. (4)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Warning Signs of Diabulimia<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Eating disorders are under-diagnosed and under-treated in people with diabetes. Detecting an eating disorder is not always easy and you can\u2019t tell whether or not someone has an eating disorder based on their body size. The warning signs are often overlooked or mistaken for \u201cnon-compliance\u201d in diabetes care. Individuals engaging in eating disorder behaviors may feel ashamed and therefore not disclose symptom use.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Knowing the warning signs is essential for early detection. (5)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

These include:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n