If your child or teen has an eating disorder and is talking about suicide, showing warning signs, or you are worried they may act on suicidal thoughts, you do not have to sort this out alone. Get clear next-step support for anorexia, bulimia, and other eating-disorder-related suicide concerns.
About this assessment
Start with your level of concern, and we’ll help you think through what to do if your child has suicidal thoughts alongside an eating disorder, including when emergency help may be needed.
For many parents, it is terrifying to hear a child with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, purging, restriction, or severe body distress talk about wanting to die or not wanting to be here. Eating disorders can increase emotional pain, hopelessness, impulsivity, isolation, and medical risk. If your child has suicidal thoughts and an eating disorder, it is important to take both concerns seriously at the same time. This page is designed to help parents recognize warning signs, respond calmly, and understand when to seek urgent or emergency support.
Statements like "I can’t do this anymore," "Everyone would be better off without me," or direct talk about suicide should always be taken seriously, especially when paired with eating-disorder symptoms.
Rapid restriction, purging, compulsive exercise, refusal to eat, severe guilt after eating, or panic around meals can raise risk when your child also seems overwhelmed, numb, or desperate.
Pulling away from family, hiding behaviors, self-harm, giving away belongings, searching for ways to die, or saying they do not care what happens are signs to act on quickly.
Use calm, clear language: ask if they are thinking about suicide, if they have a plan, and if they feel able to stay safe. Listening without arguing or minimizing can lower isolation and help you judge urgency.
If you are concerned, stay with your child and limit access to medications, sharp objects, cords, firearms, alcohol, and other means. If there is immediate danger, call emergency services or go to the nearest ER.
Contact your child’s therapist, pediatrician, psychiatrist, eating disorder team, or crisis resources the same day if risk feels elevated. If your child cannot commit to safety, seek emergency evaluation.
If your child says they plan to kill themselves, has taken steps toward it, or has access to a method and may act soon, treat it as an emergency right now.
Fainting, chest pain, severe dehydration, confusion, vomiting blood, inability to keep food or fluids down, or extreme weakness can require immediate medical care even if they are not speaking openly about suicide.
If supervision is not enough, your child is escalating, leaving the house, refusing help, or you are unsure whether they may act, emergency evaluation is the safest next step.
Take it seriously, stay with them, ask directly whether they are thinking about suicide and whether they have a plan, and contact professional help right away. If they are in immediate danger or cannot stay safe, call emergency services or go to the nearest emergency room.
Yes. Suicidal thoughts are always serious, and eating disorders can add both emotional and medical risk. Restriction, purging, malnutrition, impulsivity, and hopelessness can make the situation more dangerous and may require urgent mental health and medical support.
Stay physically present, do not leave them alone if risk feels high, remove or secure medications and other dangerous items, and reach out to crisis or emergency support if you are unsure they can stay safe. If your child has a plan, intent, or is medically unstable, seek emergency help immediately.
Warning signs can include talking about wanting to die, hopelessness, severe withdrawal, self-harm, giving away belongings, searching for methods, sudden calm after distress, and worsening eating-disorder behaviors such as extreme restriction, purging, or refusal to eat.
Get emergency help if your child has a suicide plan, intent, recent attempt, access to means, cannot agree to stay safe, or shows medical warning signs from the eating disorder such as fainting, chest pain, severe dehydration, confusion, or extreme weakness.
Personalized assessment
Answer a few questions to better understand the level of concern, what warning signs matter most, and when to seek urgent or emergency help for suicidal thoughts with an eating disorder.