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Chapter 4 - ‘Diabulimia’, Diabetes and Eating Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2021

By
Anne M. Doherty ,
Aoife M. Egan  and
Seán F. Dinneen
Edited by
Anne M. Doherty ,
Aoife M. Egan  and
Sean Dinneen
Anne M. Doherty
Affiliation:
University College Dublin
Aoife M. Egan
Affiliation:
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, USA
Sean Dinneen
Affiliation:
School of Medicine, National University of Ireland, Galway
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Summary

Eating disorders, while relatively rare, have the highest mortality rates of all mental disorders. When combined with diabetes, they have poor outcomes in terms of recurrent diabetic ketoacidosis, premature development of microvascular complications and mortality. Eating disorders are common in diabetes and, where present, are associated with a much higher incidence of diabetic complications and a sevenfold increase in mortality. The term ‘diabulimia’ is increasingly used by patient groups and in the general (and social) media. However, it is not a diagnostic term; there has been no professional agreement regarding what constitutes ‘diabulimia’ or what may constitute a minimum set of criteria for diagnosis. It is important for endocrinologists to have a high index of suspicion for eating disorders in patients with diabetes (especially young women with type 1 diabetes). Psychiatrists need to consider and treat insulin omission as a form of purging in eating disorders.

Keywords

eating disorderanorexiabulimiadiabetespurging
Type
Chapter
Information
Mental Health, Diabetes and Endocrinology , pp. 31 - 42
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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