Alsana Birmingham Programs Welcome Eating Disorder Clients With Co-Occurring Type 1 Diabetes

Alsana’s Diabulimia Treatment Program Provides Life-Saving Care For People with Diabetes and Also Struggling With An Eating Disorder

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This fall, Alsana Birmingham’s Residential and PHP/IOP eating disorder treatment programs will begin serving adult clients with co-occurring diabetes. This specialized care has been offered by residential and PHP/IOP programs in Westlake Village, Calif., since 2020.

Diabulimia, or ED-DMT1, is one of the most dangerous and least understood eating disorders. It is sometimes used to describe co-occurring diabetes and eating disorders those who restrict insulin in order to lose weight.

Research shows that individuals with type 1 diabetes may be more susceptible to disordered eating behaviors than those without diabetes – the mortality rate is exceptionally high.

“Compassion-Focused Therapy, a method that aims to help clients replace shame and self-criticism with compassion, is at the heart of our therapeutic approach,” says Jessica Harris, LMFT, CEDS. “Self-compassion is crucial in the eating disorder recovery process. This is especially true for individuals trying to build healthy relationships with their bodies while managing chronic, physical illnesses.”

Like many people with eating disorders, individuals with diabulimia often struggle with shame and self-criticism. They may also experience diabetes stigma, or negative attitudes originating from false ideas that people’s poor choices caused their diabetes.

At Alsana, clients with diabulimia learn to manage their illness without focusing on restriction or weight loss. “Eating disorders are complex biopsychosocial illnesses. Reducing body weight fails to treat the actual core of the eating disorder,” says Harris. “We work to decouple the idea that weight and health are directly tied to one another and focus on health-promoting behaviors.”

About Alsana®

Alsana is an eating recovery community with in-person Residential and PHP/IOP programs in Alabama, California, and Missouri, Virtual PHP/IOP offerings across the United States. Their approach to eating disorder treatment is compassionate, evidence-based, and designed in alignment with the Adaptive Care Model®. This holistic method addresses healing in all areas of clients' lives by integrating medical, nutritional, and therapeutic care with movement and relational therapies. Alsana serves adult clients of all genders and sexual identities struggling with a broad spectrum of eating, feeding, and co-occurring disorders. Alsana's programs accommodate the unique needs of vegan clients and clients struggling with ED-DMT1, also known as "diabulimia." For additional information, visit www.alsana.com.