Suicide Awareness & Eating Disorders
National surveys estimate that 20 million women and 10 million men in America will have an eating disorder at some point in their lives. Eating disorders are serious but treatable mental illnesses that can affect anyone regardless of age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic group. Eating disorders seldom resolve on their own and may become life-threatening, with suicide being a major cause of premature death among individuals with these disorders.
By: Aliesha Bryan
Living with an eating disorder can be an emotionally painful experience. Whether it is binge eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, or Bulimia Nervosa — which are among the most well-known eating disorders — those who struggle with eating disorders often experience intense emotions. Eating disorders are often accompanied by low self-esteem, body image discrepancies and can co-occur with depression, anxiety, self-harm, substance abuse, and even suicide.
Suicidality can refer to a wide range of thoughts and behaviors, from passive ideation to actual plans and lethal attempts. While rates of suicide and suicidal ideation differ across the various types of eating disorders, eating disorders are notorious for having the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric disorders — whether by medical complications or by suicide. In fact, the majority of non-natural deaths among patients with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and binge eating disorder were from suicide. Studies have shown Anorexia Nervosa to be particularly deadly, with individuals with that disorder having the highest rate of completed suicide. Individuals with Bulimia Nervosa have the greatest number of suicide attempts, while it has been found that about half of individuals struggling with binge eating disorder have attempted suicide.
It is important to know the warning signs that an individual may be at risk for suicide. These signs can include, but are not limited to, talking about wanting to die, looking for ways to carry out the act, feelings of isolation, hopelessness, unworthiness, or being a burden to others. Warning signs can also include a history of sexual abuse, current substance abuse, withdrawal from others, or a loss of interest in the things the person cares about.
Making sure that a person with an eating disorder receives the appropriate level of care is of utmost importance, a determination best made through a comprehensive and specialized evaluation. One of the crucial functions of eating disorder treatment is to learn to recognize and manage one's emotions in a positive way. Eating disorder behaviors are often used as a coping mechanism meant to decrease the intensity of emotions that an individual is feeling or to avoid emotional discomfort. Working with a multidisciplinary team can help the individual struggling with an eating disorder remember that emotions are temporary, increase their capacity to tolerate all emotions, and lessen the chance of becoming overwhelmed.
It is important to remember that not only is there hope, but that there are good reasons to hope. Fortunately, there are resources available to help with suicidal thoughts, including services especially available for suicide prevention. If you are in crisis, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for support. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. The essential thing is to seek help – your life is valuable and important.
Early treatment intervention is critical. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder or suspect that an eating disorder may be present, please know that there is hope and recovery is possible. We are here for you! Fill out the form below to schedule a free consultation call with our admissions team to start you on the path to recovery.
This post was written by BALANCE intern, Aliesha Bryan.
Aliesha is a second-year graduate student at Sarah Lawrence College pursuing her Master of Science in Dance/Movement Therapy. She completed her undergraduate education at Barnard College, majoring in French and Francophone Studies. She previously worked as a translator for a variety of organizations within the UN system, including UNESCO, United Nations Headquarters, and the Pan-American Health Organization. Aliesha is also a professional Flamenco dancer who has had the opportunity to perform live at venues and festivals here in the United States and internationally. As a Dance/Movement Therapist in training, Aliesha believes that the body is a repository of extraordinarily valuable information — often symbolic and potentially difficult to express in everyday language — but nonetheless vital to healing. She is passionate about eating disorder recovery and is excited to be a part of the BALANCE team.