Eating Disorders & Suicide Prevention
Suicide is a leading cause of death among people with eating disorders (1), and has profound and far-reaching impacts on individuals, their families, carers, kin and communities. People experiencing eating disorders are also at an increased risk of experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours, with 51% experiencing suicidal ideation (2) and around 1 in 3 will attempt suicide (3).
The relationship between suicidal distress and eating disorders is complex and shaped by intersecting individual, social and systemic factors. These can include experiences of mental and physical ill-health, trauma, disability, discrimination and marginalisation, barriers to accessing appropriate support, and the broader social and structural conditions that affect different communities. Risk may also intensify at unexpected points, including during recovery itself (4, 5).
While appropriate eating disorder care remains an essential part of suicide prevention, prevention efforts must also aim to prevent suicidal distress and eating disorders from emerging, and build a compassionate and coordinated system of care matched to a person’s changing psychological, physical, nutritional, and psychosocial needs.
National Eating Disorders Suicide Prevention Roundtable
To achieve this, the National Eating Disorders Strategy 2023–2033 is designed to work alongside and in combination with other key national strategies and policies which support broader suicide prevention and mental health system reform, to ensure the stepped system of care for eating disorders is responsive to those experiencing eating disorders and suicidal distress across all services and sectors.
As part of NEDC’s commitment to strengthening understanding and responses at this intersection, NEDC partnered with the National Suicide Prevention Office to host a roundtable on 1 April 2026, bringing together 36 people spanning lived experience, clinical, research and policy.
The roundtable attendees explored the systemic and service-level challenges and opportunities to strengthen how services, organisations and the broader system prevent and respond to suicidal distress for people experiencing eating disorders and what is needed to build and sustain a coordinated system of care.
Key themes
Across the roundtable, participants highlighted consistent priorities including the need for more integrated and holistic models of care, trauma-informed and autonomy-preserving approaches, improved workforce capability, and more connected and accessible service systems. Participants also emphasised the importance of reducing stigma, embedding lived experience leadership in service design and delivery, strengthening prevention and early intervention, and investing in research, data, and system-level reform.
Roundtable Recommendations
Attendees identified a range of next steps for translating these ideas into actionable improvements. These priorities were translated into a focused set of recommendations intended to strengthen policy, service design, and implementation.
#1 Reduce stigma and strengthen early help-seeking
Invest in stigma reduction, public awareness, and practical support in settings most likely to encounter people experiencing eating disorders and suicidal distress, including education, sport, community, cultural, faith-based, LGBTIQA+ and workplace settings. Trusted online information should clearly explain the relationship between eating disorders and suicidal distress and support people to recognise distress and access support early.
#2 Build accessible, connected and person-centred care
Reform service settings so care is collaborative, trauma-informed and not driven primarily by risk stratification. Priorities include better integration across eating disorders, physical health, mental health and suicide prevention services; warm handovers and care coordination; improved information sharing with consent; stronger frontline capability; and funded lived experience and peer leadership across policy, design, training and evaluation.
#3 Strengthen workforce capability
Embed eating disorder and suicide prevention capability into tertiary education, national workforce strategies, and professional competency frameworks. Fund free, accessible, evidence-based training and resources for first responders, GPs, emergency clinicians, community-based workers, mental health practitioners and other frontline providers so they can recognise and respond to eating disorders and suicidal distress with confidence
#4 Invest in prevention, research and data
Increase investment in community-designed early prevention approaches that address shared determinants of eating disorders and suicidal distress. Strengthen monitoring and data linkage to better understand experiences, outcomes and service gaps; use co-designed outcome frameworks to measure meaningful progress; and support development of trauma-informed, harm-minimisation and relational models of care, including for people experiencing ongoing or recurrent suicidal distress and long-standing eating disorders.
Access the full roundtable recommendation summary here.
NEDC's ongoing commitment
NEDC remains committed to working alongside people with lived and living experience and our partners across sectors to strengthen prevention, support and care for people experiencing eating disorders and suicidal distress.
The recommendations developed from the roundtable will strengthen strategic planning and shape the next phase of collaborative work at the intersection of eating disorders and suicidal distress.
Resources and further reading
The organisations, initiatives and resources below provide information, guidance, training and support related to suicide prevention. They are grouped by focus area to help people identify resources most relevant to their needs and context.
Looking for support? If you or someone you know needs support now, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, 13YARN on 13 92 76 or the Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673. In an emergency, call 000.
Health professionals and service providers: The clinical practice guidelines provide evidence-based guidance about the identification, assessment, and management of suicide and NSSI in children and adolescents (0-19 years) and guide their management in the context of co-occurring conditions like feeding and eating disorders. National suicide prevention training programs may also be helpful.
People with lived and living experience, families, carers and supporters: See national support for lived experience of suicide and the supports for at-risk populations and communities, which include peer-led, community and bereavement services.
Researchers, policy makers and sector organisations: See national leadership in suicide prevention and suicide prevention research and translation.
National leadership in suicide prevention
National Suicide Prevention Office – National Suicide Prevention Office
Suicide Prevention Australia – Suicide Prevention Australia
National leadership in suicide prevention research and translation
The University of Melbourne – LIFEWAYS
LGBTIQ+ Health Australia + ARCSHS – MindOut Research and Data Translation
Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention
Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention – Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention
Clinical practice guidelines for the identification, assessment, and management of suicide and non-suicidal self-injury
Melbourne Children’s Hospital – Suicide and Non-suicidal Self-injury in Children and Adolescents: Evidence-based Clinical Practice Guideline
National support for lived experience of suicide
Roses in the Ocean – National Leadership for Lived Experience of Suicide engagement and integration to support and inform suicide prevention reform and workforce development
Black Dog Institute – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience Centre
National suicide prevention training
Youth Live4Life – Live4Life
Headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation – Headspace University Support Program
Wesley Community Services – Wesley LifeForce Training
Anglicare Sydney – Suicide Prevention for Seniors Program
Roses in the Ocean – Access and Equity Project – Lived Experience workforce development training
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation – Suicide Story
LGBTIQ+ Health Australia – MindOut Suicide Prevention Training
Mental Health First Aid International – Mental Health First Aid Training to Strengthen and Build Community Capacity
National suicide prevention support for priority populations and communities
MacKillop Family Services – Seasons for Life
batyr Australia – Project ‘Thrive On’
The Men’s Table – National Scaling of Preventative Men’s Mental Health Initiative
MATES – MATES in Construction, Mining & Energy Suicide Prevention Program
Parents Beyond Breakup – National Expansion of Dads in Distress Peer Support Groups
Jesuit Social Services – Support After Suicide National Online Suicide Bereavement Support – LGBTIQA+
LGBTIQ+ Health Australia – MindOUT QLife
Villy Australia – The Villy App
Buddy Up Australia – Buddy Up Australia
YouTurn Limited – StandBy Support After Suicide
Wesley Community Services – Wesley Lifeforce Suicide Prevention Networks
Black Dog Institute – Suicide Prevention Capacity Building and Support for at Risk Populations and Communities
Roses in the Ocean – National Safe Spaces project
Youth Insearch – Tackle Rural and Regional Youth Suicide with Youth Insearch Lived Experience Workforce
The Healthy Communities Foundation – National Rural and Remote Suicide Prevention Program
Menzies School of Health Research – Aboriginal and Islander Mental Health Initiative for Youth
Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council – Clear Thinking
References
1. Arcelus J, Mitchell AJ, Wales J, Nielsen S. Mortality rates in patients with anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders: a meta-analysis of 36 studies. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011;68(7):724-31. https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.74
2. Amiri S, Khan MA. Prevalence of non-suicidal self-injury, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, suicide mortality in eating disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eat Disord. 2023;31(5):487-525. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2023.2196492
3. Xu YE, Barron DA, Sudol K, Zisook S, Oquendo MA. Suicidal behavior across a broad range of psychiatric disorders. Mol Psychiatry. 2023;28(7):2764-810. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01935-7
4. Foye U, Kakar S, McNamara N, Simpson A, Dawson L, Allan S, et al. 'It's the perfect storm': why are people with eating disorders at risk of suicide? A qualitative study. BMC Med. 2025;23:481. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04326-1
5. National Suicide Prevention Office. The National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2025-2035. Canberra: 2025. ISBN: 978-1-7636173-1-5. Australian Government, Department of Health and Aged Care, January 2025. Available at National Suicide Prevention Office: www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/nspo/projects/national-suicide-prevention-strategy