Abstract
ABSTRACTObjective:To identify symptoms of eating disorders and potential associations with risk of suicide and depressive symptoms in undergraduate students of health-related courses.Methods:A cross-sectional study involving 271 students. The following instruments were used to identify symptoms of eating disorders: Eating Attitudes Test-26 and Bulimic Investigatory Test of Edinburgh. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview were used to screen for depressive symptoms and risk of suicide, respectively. Participants answered a questionnaire aimed to collect biodemographic data for economic classification of the sample.Results:Symptoms of eating disorders and bulimia nervosa were detected in 7.4% and 29.1% of students, respectively. Approximately 17.3% of students had symptoms of major depression, and 13.6% were at risk of suicide to some extent; risk of suicide was thought to be low in 7.4%, moderate in 0.7% and high in 5.5% of students in this subset. The risk of eating disorder development was correlated with the risk of suicide (p<0.001).Conclusion:Undergraduate students at risk of developing eating disorders, or with symptoms suggestive of depression, are more prone to commit suicide.
Highlights
Imposition of beauty standards and stigmatization may lead to rejection of obese or overweight individuals, giving rise to feelings of contempt and dissatisfaction with one’s own body and fear of gaining weight.[1]
Multifactorial psychiatric disorders characterized by altered eating behaviors and comprising two major subtypes: anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.[1,3,4] These disorders are associated with high mortality rates, disability, physical and psychological morbidity, and poorer quality of life.[6,7] Huge attention on the part of public health policies is required, given victims tend to hide the disease and not to seek professional help.[1]
Physical and psychological changes typical of adolescence may trigger eating disorders development from this age, primarily anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, as the cognitive maturity required for adaptation to physiological changes is lacking.[8]. Many diagnosed cases are closely related to high mortality rates, with 15% of patients progressing to death.[2,7] Among other factors, eating disorders may contribute to risk of suicide,(8) one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among adolescents and young adults due to increased adoption of risk behaviors in these stages of life.[9]
Summary
Imposition of beauty standards and stigmatization may lead to rejection of obese or overweight individuals, giving rise to feelings of contempt and dissatisfaction with one’s own body and fear of gaining weight.[1]. Physical and psychological changes typical of adolescence may trigger eating disorders development from this age, primarily anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, as the cognitive maturity required for adaptation to physiological changes is lacking.[8] Many diagnosed cases are closely related to high mortality rates, with 15% of patients progressing to death.[2,7] Among other factors, eating disorders may contribute to risk of suicide,(8) one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among adolescents and young adults due to increased adoption of risk behaviors in these stages of life.[9]. Eating disorders may be associated with depression among undergraduate students, with increased risk of suicide in this population
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