‘It’s the perfect storm’: why are people with eating disorders at risk of suicide? A qualitative study
The results are novel and illuminate psychological processes that are not currently incorporated within existing theoretical models of suicide, indicating that prevailing frameworks may lack the specificity or sensitivity required to account for the distinctive experiences of individuals with EDs. Consequently, these findings provide preliminary evidence to inform the development of a more nuanced theoretical model of suicidality specific to this population. Moreover, they suggest potential targets for intervention and highlight the need to critically evaluate treatment approaches that prioritise rapid symptom remission, which may, at times, exceed individuals' psychological capacity to cope.
Authors
- Ulrike Schmidt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1335-1937)
- Gerome D. Breen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2053-1792)
- Rina Dutta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5614-8659)
- Rachel Rowan Olive (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0871-9859)
- Tom Jewell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4084-7786)
- Saakshi A. Kakar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1677-1857)
- Aman Sidhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4817-1533)
- H. R. Whitehead
- George Mycock (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1227-035X)
- Una Foye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3414-2854)
- Moritz Herle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3220-5070)
- Jenna Griffiths (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0124-6593)
- Sandra Perks (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1002-7173)
- Lizzie Mitchell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6329-5673)
- Niamh McNamara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3123-3678)
- Carol Kan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2511-0682)
- Tasha Suratwala
- Katie Graden
- Elia Chitwa
- Agnieszka Musial
Institutions
- King's College London (GB)
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- University of Derby (GB)
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- NIHR Maudsley Dementia Biomedical Research Unit (GB)
- Nottingham Trent University (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Medicine
- Published
- 2025-08-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04326-1
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.61
Funders
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- National Institute for Health and Care Research
- King's College London
- Rosetrees Trust
- MQ: Transforming Mental Health
- NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre
- Arts and Humanities Research Council
- Medical Research Council
- Economic and Social Research Council