Compare and contrast the risk of suicide in anorexia and bulimia.

What will be an ideal response?

Medical complications are the number one cause of death in those who suffer from anorexia nervosa; the second most common cause of death is suicide. Recent estimates suggest that one out of five deaths in individuals with anorexia nervosa is the result of suicide. Somewhere between 3 and 23 percent of patients with anorexia will make a suicide attempt, and rates of completed suicide are 50 times greater than they are in the general population. It has been suggested that patients who have lost their ability to maintain an "emotionally protective" low body weight are at particularly high risk of suicide. Patients who are older when they first receive clinical attention for their disorder are also more likely to have a premature death. Bulimia nervosa is not associated with increased risk of completed suicide, although suicide attempts are made in 25 to 30 percent of cases. GRADING RUBRIC: 8 points total, 4 points for each of two factors discussed.