How is diabulimia diagnosed?

How is diabulimia diagnosed?

Eating disorders in general are difficult to diagnose because they are usually secretive conditions. Many people with an eating disorder don’t seek treatment on their own. This may be especially true for people who have Type 1 diabetes and diabulimia since people with diabetes often fear being criticized by healthcare providers and/or their families for mismanaging their condition.

Because of this, many people with diabulimia are undiagnosed.

In general, healthcare providers and family members may suspect someone has diabulimia if they have an A1c of 9.0 or higher and have had multiple diabetes-related ketoacidosis episodes or near-DKA episodes without any other explainable cause, such as a malfunctioning insulin pump site or accidentally using expired or spoiled insulin.

However, since it can be difficult to tell the exact cause of persistent high blood sugars, in most cases, a person needs to admit that they are withholding insulin in order for their provider and family members to know that they have diabulimia.