September is National Suicide Prevention Month, a time to confront the many factors that contribute to suicide risk. Among these, one of the most overlooked and deadly is the intersection of eating disorders and suicide in military populations.
When we envision military service, we often think of strength, resilience, and unwavering discipline. Yet beneath this image, a silent crisis unfolds. Eating disorders and suicide risk intersect in ways rarely addressed, leaving service members and veterans suffering in silence.
Eating Disorders: A Serious, Life-Threatening Illness
Eating disorders are not phases, diets, or personal choices; they are complex psychiatric illnesses with one of the highest mortality rates of any mental disorder. For example, Anorexia Nervosa carries one of the highest death rates among mental illnesses, with suicide as a leading cause of death.1 Across diagnoses, including Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, and Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders (OSFED), suicide risk remains significantly elevated compared to the general population.2 In the United States, approximately 10,200 deaths annually, or one every 52 minutes, are linked to eating disorders.3
The prevalence in military and veteran populations is particularly striking: One study found that 32.8% of female veterans and 18.8% of male veterans show signs of probable eating disorders.4 Around 26% of individuals with eating disorders have attempted suicide, underscoring the severe emotional and psychological toll of these illnesses.5 Despite these alarming statistics, eating disorders are often underdiagnosed and undertreated, making awareness, early recognition, and intervention critical, especially in populations where stigma and systemic pressures may hide the warning signs.
Military Culture and Overlapping Risk Factors for Suicide
Military life values dedication, precision, and control — traits essential for effective service. Yet these same qualities can unintentionally contribute to eating disorders and elevate suicide risk.
- Dedication and Discipline: Strict diets or punishing workouts may be seen as commitment, even when masking disordered eating.
- Perfectionism: Meeting weight or performance standards can spiral into obsession and harsh self-criticism.
- Control as Coping: Managing food and body image can feel like the only safe anchor amid chaos, stress, or trauma.
These cultural pressures are enforced by intense weigh-ins, body composition standards, and the controversial tape test, often driving extreme behaviors like crash dieting, dehydration, laxatives, purging, or surgery.6,7 Veterans often carry these internalized expectations long after their service, making help-seeking even more challenging.
Layered atop these pressures are psychological traits and trauma-related factors that heighten risk for both eating disorders and suicide:
- Shame and secrecy
- All-or-nothing thinking and intolerance of failure
- High tolerance for physical and emotional distress
- Fear of letting others down or appearing weak
Compounding this vulnerability, experiences like Military Sexual Trauma (MST), combat exposure, or frequent transitions can trigger body shame and disordered eating as coping mechanisms. Co-occurring PTSD, anxiety, or depression, all common in military populations, further intensify both eating disorder symptoms and suicidal ideation. Additionally, starvation or low energy availability can biologically impair brain function, reducing impulse control and increasing suicidal risk.
Together, these cultural, psychological, biological, and trauma-related factors form a dangerous storm, where traits that make service members excel, such as discipline, perseverance, and control, can become barriers to seeking help, allowing conditions to fester unnoticed until they become life-threatening.
The Silence That Kills
Perhaps the most dangerous element is silence. Active-duty members often fear judgment, demotion, or separation from the military. Veterans may carry stigma long after discharge. This culture of silence deepens isolation, delays intervention, and amplifies suicidal thoughts.
Why This Matters
Our goal is to safeguard the well-being of those who serve. Through early recognition, open, stigma-free conversations, and compassionate care, we can save lives and support lasting recovery.
Dr. Edwin Shneidman, one of the founders of modern suicidology, challenges us to pause and reflect:
“How willing am I to be inconvenienced by a person’s response to two important questions: Where does it hurt? And how can I help?”5
These questions aren’t just for moments of crisis; they remind us that taking the time to ask, listen, and respond can be what actually changes a life. In military cultures, where strength, perfectionism, and control often mask suffering, this small act of presence can break through silence and isolation.
This National Suicide Prevention Month, let’s bring this hidden crisis into the light. Eating disorders and suicide are not separate issues; they are deeply intertwined public health concerns. By recognizing the signs, asking the hard questions, and creating spaces for help, we can protect the very people who have dedicated their lives to protecting us.
If you or someone you love is contemplating suicide, seek help immediately. For help 24/7 dial 988 for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. To find a therapist near you, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.
