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People who restrict how much they eat because they have body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a kind of body image disorder, may also be at a higher risk for attempting suicide, according to a new study.


Research published in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior shows that restricting food intake because of BDD is linked with a doubled risk of attempting suicide. However, researchers did not find a link between restricting food intake because of BDD and ideas of suicide.


"Significantly limiting food intake can be physically painful," study researcher Dr. Katharine A. Phillips, M.D., of Rhode Island Hospital, said in a statement. "It goes against our natural instincts to feed our bodies and respond to the physical pain that comes with extreme hunger. The results of this study suggest the importance of assessing individuals with BDD for restrictive eating behaviors to identify suicide risk, even if they have not previously been diagnosed with an eating disorder."


The study included 200 people (more than half were women) who had BDD. They were all between ages of 14 and 64, and the number of past suicide attempts ranged from 0 to 25.