Starving for independence. Anorexia nervosa in an adolescent with type 1 diabetes

The incidence of eating disorders is approximately twice as high in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) compared to the general population. Comorbidity is related to potentially severe organ complications and consequently higher mortality risk. The effective treatment of eating disorders in T1DM is provided by the teamwork of diabetologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and dietitians. The purpose of this paper is to present the multidisciplinary treatment of a 14.5-year-old adolescent with T1DM and diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, focusing on the cooperation of the professionals. In line with the current guidelines, both family therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy-informed individual psychotherapy were applied beside the strict diabetes control. Her therapy process lasted 18 months. The unusual diabetological aspect of our case is that the significant weight loss was associated with highly decreased insulin requirement affecting also the basal insulin requirements.