People with diabulimia – an eating disorder that affects people with type 1 diabetes – will soon be offered therapy to combat the “damaging effects of social media”, the NHS has announced.
A new trial service, including coaching on how to cope with body images promoted online, will be available to some people with the condition.
Diabulimia is characterised by restricting required insulin intake in order to lose weight. It is thought to affect as many as two in five women with type 1 diabetes and one in 10 men with the condition at some point, and is most common among people aged 15 to 30, according to Diabetes UK.
The trial will only be available in some parts of the UK, but the charity said it hopes it will lead to the NHS investing more money into treating the condition in the future.
[Read More: These Are The Symptoms Of Diabulimia]
When someone with type 1 diabetes restricts the amount of insulin they need, glucose levels build up in the blood. Over time, this can lead to abnormally high levels of blood sugar.
These abnormally high levels, known as hyperglycemia, make people go to the toilet a lot, meaning any calories taken in from food are passed straight out of the body in the urine.
The condition is “often well hidden” by those living with it and “difficult to spot”, Diabetes UK said.
“Diabulimia is a serious eating disorder which – without the right clinical and mental health support – can have devastating consequences, such as stroke, kidney failure and blindness,” Libby Dowling, senior clinical adviser of the charity, said. “It can also be fatal.”
A trial will begin later this year and be rolled out more widely if successful.
NHS England said the service, which will offer joined-up treatment for diabetes and mental health in London and the South Coast, comes amid growing awareness about the condition.
Patients referred will be offered daily structured meal plans and support to manage their insulin intake, as well as therapy.
“Body image pressure is helping to drive ever increasing numbers of young people to the health service for treatment and support and while diabulimia is rare it can be just as deadly as other more common eating disorders,” Claire Murdoch, national director for mental health at NHS England, said.
“These pilots are another important step forward but the fact is the NHS can’t do it all – wider society needs take a long hard look what more we can do together to protect young people’s well being.”