Self-Harm and Suicide Attempts in Individuals with Bulimia Nervosa

Abstract

Self-harm has been identified as a clinical feature in at least a subgroup of women with bulimia nervosa. We explored how women with bulimia who engage in self-harming behaviors differ from women with bulimia without self-harming behaviors and from women with bulimia who attempt suicide with lethal intent. We compared features of the eating disorder, Axis I and II comorbidity, and Eating Disorder Inventory and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) scores across 19 women with bulimia who engaged in self-harming behaviors, 28 women with bulimia who reported suicide attempts with lethal intent, and 105 women with bulimia with no self-harming or suicidal behaviors. Women with bulimia nervosa and self-harm behaviors reported significantly more laxative abuse and drug abuse in general. Bulimic women with suicide attempts had the highest rates of overall comorbidity across the three groups. Individuals with self-harm scored significantly higher on the self-transcendence scale of the TCI. Bulimic women with self-harming behaviors appear to engage in more drug taking behavior--both associated with the eating disorder (laxatives) and in terms of illicit drug use. Overall, the highest rates of Axis I and Axis II comorbidity were associated with individuals with suicide attempts. High scores on self-transcendence may signal a greater sense of dissociation and disconnectedness in bulimic women who self-harm.