I nearly died from eating disorder

A young woman, April Longe, almost lost her life to diabulimia, an eating disorder that is considered the most dangerous in the world. Her struggle with insulin misuse was initially dismissed as laziness by doctors.

Longe, a 19-year-old psychology student at the University of Essex, developed diabulimia as a teenager. This condition involves individuals with type 1 diabetes intentionally reducing their insulin intake to lose weight.

After struggling with her eating disorder, Longe was finally admitted to the hospital where she spent 11 months recovering. She is now dedicated to raising awareness about diabulimia and advocating for its official recognition as a disorder.

Longe shared, “I could have died. I’m very grateful that I didn’t. It was sad it had to get to the point that it got.”

Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age five, Longe’s battle with an eating disorder began when she moved to the UK from America at age 13. She realized she could manipulate her insulin intake to achieve weight loss after collapsing from low blood sugar.

Longe confessed, “I thought I can eat what I want but get as skinny as possible. It became an addiction.” She intentionally elevated her blood sugars by not injecting insulin, leading to life-threatening complications like diabetic ketoacidosis.

Despite her struggles, Longe faced doctors who attributed her complications to laziness rather than addressing the real issue of insulin misuse.

Longe’s journey involved multiple hospital visits, admissions, and eventually being sectioned under the Mental Health Act. After spending months in recovery, she returned home in April 2023.

Now recovered, Longe is on a mission to raise awareness about diabulimia and push for its acknowledgment as an official disorder. She emphasizes the importance of healthcare professionals being vigilant towards the signs of diabulimia to prevent more lives from being lost to this condition.