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Rhode Island Hospital and Auburn University researchers found alink between restrictive food intake, or excessive dieting, and anincrease in suicide attempts in people with Body DysmorphicDisorder (BDD). The study focused on the acquired capability ofsuicide, which is one component of Joiner's (2005)interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide and is comprised ofphysical pain tolerance and lowered fear of death. The paper ispublished in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, and is now available online in advance of print. BDD is a common, often severe, and under-recognized body imagedisorder. People with BDD experience distressing or impairingpreoccupations with perceived flaws in their appearance and areobsessed with the belief that something is wrong with how theylook, when in reality they look normal. More than 75 percent ofpeople with BDD feel life is not worth living or think aboutsuicide in their lifetime, and approximately 25 percent have ahistory of a suicide attempt. Authors Tracy K. Witte, Ph.D., of Auburn University, Elizabeth R.Didie, Ph.D., a psychologist in the department of psychiatry atRhode Island Hospital, and Katharine A. Phillips, M.D., director ofthe Body Dysmorphic Disorder Program at Rhode Island Hospitalexamined the association of suicide attempts with physicallypainful BDD-related behaviors, including restrictive food intake,excessive exercise, BDD-related cosmetic surgery, compulsive skinpicking, and physical self-mutilation. The study found that BDD-related restrictive food intake wasassociated with more than double the number of suicide attempts,but was not associated with suicide ideation; and that those with ahistory of BDD-related excessive exercise had less than half thenumber of suicide attempts as those without such a history. Thestudy also found that none of the other variables indicatingexposure to painful and provocative experiences, such asBDD-related cosmetic surgery and compulsive skin picking, weresignificant predictors of suicide attempts. Because restriction of food intake can be physically painful, theresearchers theorize that a person who is capable of enduring thephysical discomfort of caloric restriction may be more capable ofenduring the physical discomfort required in order to inflictself-harm. They theorize that severe restriction of food intakethat results in long-standing physical discomfort would predictcapability for suicide, whereas more moderate dieting behaviorswould have less of a relationship (if any). "Significantly limiting food intake can be physically painful,"Phillips said. "It goes against our natural instincts to feed ourbodies and respond to the physical pain that comes with extremehunger. The results of this study suggest the importance ofassessing individuals with BDD for restrictive eating behaviors toidentify suicide risk, even if they have not previously beendiagnosed with an eating disorder." The study included interviews with 200 individuals (68.5 percentwomen) between the ages of 14 and 64 who had a lifetime diagnosisof BDD. The main criterion variable was the participants' number ofpast suicide attempts, which ranged from 0 to 25 in the studygroup. Additionally, 78 percent of the study group had a history ofsuicide-related ideation. The study only included examination ofsuicide attempts, not deaths by suicide. "While some of the other BDD-related behaviors may seem outwardlymore painful - such as undergoing repeated cosmetic procedures, orcompulsive skin picking, the level of pain associated withexcessive dieting could significantly increase a person's paintolerance," Didie said. "This study suggests that those who arecapable of enduring such physical discomfort and pain fromrestrictive eating also may be capable of enduring the physicaldiscomfort required to inflict self harm." Additional References Citations. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Thermal Transfer Overprinter , Thermal Transfer Ribbons for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Hot Ink Roller.
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