ADHD, Bariatric Surgery May Boost Suicidality in People With BED

SAN DIEGO—People with binge eating disorder (BED) are at increased risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt—and that risk appears even greater if they also have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or have had bariatric surgery.

These findings come from a study which researchers shared during poster sessions at Psych Congress 2019.

The research estimated the incidence, per 1000 person-years, of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt during follow-up with 1042 patients diagnosed with BED and a propensity-scored matched control cohort of 10,420 people.

Overall, the incidence of suicidal ideation was 31.1 and the rate of suicide attempt was 12.7 in patients with BED, compared with 5.8 and 1.4, respectively, in matched control subjects, researchers reported.

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When researchers looked specifically at 71 patients with BED and comorbid ADHD, the incidence of suicidal ideation increased to 73.5 and the incidence of suicide attempt rose to 57.2. Among 971 patients with BED but without ADHD, the incidence of suicidal ideation was 29.2 and the incidence of suicide attempts was 10.7.

Meanwhile, the rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt were 55.5 and 32.4, respectively, in 52 patients with BED and a history of bariatric surgery. In 990 patients with BED who had never had bariatric surgery, the incidence of suicidal ideation was 29.6 and of suicide attempt was 11.5, according to the poster abstract.

“Incidence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts was increased among binge eating disorder patients with comorbid ADHD and those who had bariatric surgery compared with patients without these comorbidities,” researchers wrote, “but small sample sizes limit the robustness of these findings.”

Shire, a member of the Takeda group of companies, sponsored the study.

—Jolynn Tumolo

Reference

Spalding W, Bertoia M, Bulik C, Lu M, Akinwonmi A, Seeger J. A retrospective cohort study of suicidality among patients with binge eating disorder. Poster presented at Psych Congress 2019: October 3-6, 2019; San Diego, CA. Poster 253.