Exploring associations between suicidal ideation and binge spectrum eating disorders: a general population-based survey

Introduction: People with eating disorders (ED) are at a high risk for suicidal ideation (SI), and evidence suggests that psychiatric comorbidities play an important role in this association. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between SI in binge-eating spectrum conditions (BESC includes binge-eating disorder (BED), bulimia nervosa (BN), and recurrent binge-eating behavior (RBE)) in a representative sample from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Methods: In-house interviews were conducted with 2297 adults. SI was assessed by the PHQ-9. BESC were screened using the QEWP-5 and confirmed at a clinical interview. Valid instruments evaluated psychiatric comorbidities, and logistic regression was used to estimate associations between SI and BESC. Results: Individuals with BESC had higher rates of SI (BED (39.6%), BN (40.8%), RBE (26.5%)) compared to those in the general population (7.5%) (p < .0001). There was a higher odds ratio for SI in BED (OR 7.1, 95% CI 2.3–21.7), BN (OR 7.3, 95% CI 1.9–27.0), and RBE (OR 4.0, 95% CI 2.1–7.7). However, when adjusted for depressive symptoms, the observed differences were no longer statistically significant. Conclusion: A high prevalence of SI was found in individuals with BESC. Furthermore, this maybe an indirect effect of comorbid depressive symptoms.