Anorexia Boosts the Risk of Suicide

Anorexia is not necessarily an issue exclusively connected to food ingestion. More than an eating disease, it is a mental problem. A new research published in the Psychosomatic Medicine medical journal connects anorexia nervosa with an increased risk of suicide.

"Suicidal ideas and behaviors by anyone with anorexia nervosa should not be overlooked as something that will just pass. Suicidal gestures should be considered very seriously, and dealt with appropriately by a professional," lead author Dr Cynthia M. Bulik, director of the eating disorders program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told Reuters Health.

The research team investigated how suicide history varied among people with anorexia nervosa enrolled in the Genetics of Anorexia Nervosa Collaborative Study. About 17% of the 413 subjects, the majority of them women of ages 16 to 76, had at least one suicide attempt, which initially had taken place between the age of 7 to 40. Over 50% of these cases necessitated medical attention.

The least exposed subtype of anorexia nervosa was that which followed severe decrease of food intake, but without binge eating or purging: just about 7% of these individuals experienced suicide attempt(s). Oppositely, 26%, 29% and 21% of subjects with the purging, binging, and combined anorexia/bulimia subtypes experienced this. These subtypes of anorexia referred to single or combined behaviors like vomiting, laxative or diuretic abuse, and binge eating.

The team connected anorexia and increased suicide risk to depression, but also to additional factors like panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse or dependence, dramatic or erratic behavior, impulse-control disturbances, and self-harm or stealing behaviors. "This study underscores again that anorexia nervosa is a serious mental illness," added Bulik.

A 2008 research shows that, in the long term, anorexia nervosa impacts the physical, social, and psychological wellbeing of the whole family. The behavior of anorexic patients is often distressing and incomprehensible. It places a constant strain on the entire family unit and parents and siblings often feel guilt, helplessness, anger, frustration and isolation because of it. Parents are consumed with feelings of guilt and helplessness as they devote all of their time and energy to caring for the child with anorexia, often at the expense of their own needs and the needs of the rest of the family.

A 2007 study shows that anorexic women experience decreased libido and 30% of them have serious sexual issues. Another research showed a different activity in the brain nuclei called anterior ventral striatum (connected to instant emotional responses) and caudate (connecting actions to outcome and planning) in the case of anorexic women compared to healthy ones. The anterior ventral striatum reacted equally to winning and losing in anorexics, while the caudate regions were more active than those of healthy controls, thus anorexics are more focused on the consequences of their choices, tending to worry about the future and doing things right. Normal women reacted to gaining and losing by "living in the moment" and waiting for the next task, while former-anorexics found it difficult to let it go.

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