Hercus et al., 2024

This study is, to our knowledge, the largest to focus on factors associated with suicide in patients with a diagnosis of eating disorders in England.

Between 1997 and 2021, we found of the 30,246 patients under the recent care of mental health services with a known diagnosis who died by suicide, 382 (1%) had a diagnosis of eating disorder. Compared with patients with other mental health diagnoses who died by suicide, patients with eating disorders were younger, more often female and less likely to have conventional risk factors for suicide, such as living alone. They were characterised by greater clinical complexity (e.g., self-harm, coexisting mental health diagnoses and longer duration of illness). 1 in 3 patients with eating disorders who died by suicide had a history of childhood abuse and 1 in 5 of domestic abuse.

Our findings suggest that suicide might be a growing problem in eating disorder patients. The numbers increased although rates (accounting for help-seeking) fell. Patient safety and suicide prevention must remain urgent priorities for eating disorder services and mental health care more widely.

Read the full paper:

• Suicide in individuals with eating disorders who had sought mental health treatment in England: a national retrospective cohort study (The Lancet Psychiatry)

• Watch a short video of the study’s findings (YouTube)

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