Introduction: Eating disorders are a serious medical and psychiatric problem. They are often associated with depression, suicidal feelings and attempts. There has been little systematic comparison between the groups of eating disorder patients in terms of depressive history, suicidal feelings and suicidal attempts and other comorbid psychiatric illnesses. It has been suggested that eating disorders represent a form of affective dissorder (Ranson et al., 1999). Therefore, we are interested in seriousness of the suicidal behaviour in bulimia nervosa and in major depression. Methods: Subjects of this study were 30 female inpatients of the psychiatric hospital, Karl-Franzens-University, Graz, Austria, who met the DSM IV criteria for bulimia nervosa and 30 in-patients with a current major depression episode (diagnosed according to DSM IV). All subjects were interviewed with a standardized structured interview, the Modified Scale for Suicidal Ideation (MSSI; Miller et al., 1986), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Hautzinger, 1993), the Symptom Check List of Derogatis (SCL-90R, Franke, 1995) and the Basic Suicidal Behavior Documentation (Schaller et al.,l987). Results: 55 % of the patients report at least one suicide attempt and 45 % of the attempters report multiple attempts. 75 % of all interviewed females report current suicidal ideation. Women with bulimia nervosa and women with major depression show a similar level of suicidal ideation. The mean MSSI score (SD) for the bulimia nervosa sample is 17,70 (10,27) and for the depressive sample is 20,60 (11,5 l).There is no statistical significant difference. Therefore all these patients are at higher risk of attempting suicide. The BDI presents a similar result. In addition patients who reported current suicidal ideation have a higher score on the obsessivecompulsive-subscale of SCL-90-R (mean=l8,50; SD=9,22) compared to patients without suicidal ideation (mean=l3,30; SD=8,54; statistically significant pcO.05). Discussion: The aim of this study is to give an insight into the complexity of suicidal thoughts, depression and obsessivecompulsive symptoms of patients at the psychiatric hospital, Karl-Franzens-University, Graz, Austria. The data of this study suggests that suicidal&y and depression is equally common in women with bulimia nervosa and women with depressive disorders. Clinicians who treat eating disorders should therefore remain alert to this possibility. Both affective disorders and bulimia nervosa present a risk factor for suicide attempts Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms are common in people who are ill with bulimia nervosa. In addition there is the frequent co-occurrence of obsessivecompulsive symptoms and suicidal ideation. This study supports these facts. (1) Ranson, K., Kaye, W. (1999). Obsessivtiompulsive Disorder Symptoms before and after recovery from Bulimia nervosa.
