Why are people with eating disorders at higher risk of suicide?
Eating disorders have one of the highest mortality rates in comparison to other psychiatric illnesses, and one in five individuals with anorexia nervosa who die, do so due to suicide. Furthermore, people with an eating disorder are more likely to engage in self-harm and experience suicidal ideation. These are distressing for themselves and their families and are strong risk factors for suicide.
This research project combines data science and perspectives from people with lived experience to map out why people with eating disorders are at a higher risk of suicide.
We are working alongside a panel of ten people with lived experience of a range of eating disorder experiences to help inform and guide the study as it progresses, alongside a steering group made up of researchers and clinicians who oversee the studies progress.
Aims
The project aims to build and test a theoretical model that describes the mechanisms between different eating disorders and thoughts of suicide and self-harm.
Methods
There is currently no theoretical framework that explains why people with eating disorders are at a higher risk of suicide or thoughts of self-harm. This project uses a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to help us answer our research questions. We have conducted in-depth interviews with people with lived experience of eating disorder, self-harm and suicidal ideation, as well as health professionals (i.e. psychiatrists, psychologist and nurses) who work in this area. Alongside, we will exploit already existing large-scale datasets, such as the Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative, to study the cause-and-effect relationships between eating disorder symptoms, self-harm and suicidal ideation, and explore the potential shared genetic links between these constructs.
This work is supported by the Rosetrees - Stoneygate Fellowship and MQ Transforming Mental Health (MQF22\10)
Principal Investigator
Lecturer in Psychology
Investigators
Research Fellow
Professor of Psychiatric Genetics
Professor of Eating Disorders
Professor in Psychiatry and Academic Capacity Development
Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing