Exploring the Intersection of Suicide, Self-Harm and Eating Disorders with Dr Una Foye and Dr Moritz Herle

In this week's episode, Han is joined by Dr Una Foye and Dr Moritz Herle. Una is a mental health researcher working at King’s College London. She has a special interest in eating disorders and uses lived experience voices to help improve our understanding of eating disorders and treatment.

Moritz is a Lecturer at the Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. Moritz’ research focuses on the origins and development of eating behaviours, childhood weight and their impact on later health outcomes such as eating disorders and obesity.

Una and Moritz are working together on a project exploring the intersection of eating disorders, suicide and self-harm. The project is funded by a fellowship from Rosetrees Trust, Stoneygate Trust, and MQ Transforming Mental Health.

This week, we discuss:

  • The motivations and elements of the study Mortiz and Una are conducting.
  • Factors contributing to suicidal ideation in individuals with eating disorders.
  • The unique elements of the eating disorder experience and suicidal ideation.
  • Exploring the genetic factors in the co-occurrence of eating disorders and suicide risk
  • The power of multidisciplinary teams in treating eating disorders
  • Exploring the idea of an eating disorder as a form of self-harm.
  • The necessity of removing stigma around EDs and suicide to prompt important conversations.
  • The need for increased funding and improved services
  • Advice for individuals struggling with suicidal ideation during an eating disorder

To find out more about the study, you can head over to the MQ mental health website.

If you require further emotional support following this interview you might want to:

  • Talk with a relative, friend or other supporter if that is what you prefer
  • Contact your GP, or a mental health professional if you are currently using services
  • Use a publicly available source of emotional support, we have included a list of some options below:

Samaritans - Call free any time, from any phone, on 116 123.

Hub of Hope is the UK’s leading mental health support database.

FirstSteps Eating Disorders , an England-based eating disorders charity.

Call : 0300 1021685

Beat Eating Disorders, the UKs leading national Eating Disorders charity.

Call: England (0808 801 0677), Scotland (0808 801 0432), Wales (0808 801 0433), Northern Ireland (0808 801 0434)

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