Mental health is complex and nuanced, and we’re regularly discovering new things about the way our minds work.
A study conducted by researchers at King’s College London and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre has identified a genetic link between eating disorder symptoms and suicidal ideation. By analysing data from approximately 20,000 participants in the COVID-19 Psychiatry and Neurological Genetics (COPING) study, the researchers found that genetic factors accounted for 9% of the susceptibility to both eating disorders and suicidal thoughts. This suggests a shared genetic basis that may partially explain the co-occurrence of these conditions.
1. The overlap isn’t just behavioural—it might be biological.
People often assume eating disorders and suicidal thoughts are linked through life experience—trauma, stress, isolation. While that’s true, the new research suggests there could be a shared genetic foundation, too. It changes the conversation from “how did this happen to you?” to “how is your brain wired to process pain and control?” That lens opens up new ways of understanding and treating both struggles with more nuance and compassion.
2. The same genetic traits may drive both impulsivity and perfectionism.
One of the more striking theories is that some genes affect traits like impulsivity and rigid thinking—traits that show up in both eating disorders and suicidal behaviour. That duality helps explain why someone can flip between extreme control and sudden risk.
It’s not that these behaviours come out of nowhere. It’s that certain brains may be more likely to get stuck in these loops, especially under stress. The genetic piece helps explain why some people respond so intensely to emotional pain.
3. Emotional sensitivity may be inherited, not just learned.
Some studies suggest heightened emotional sensitivity—feeling things more deeply, recovering more slowly—may be partly genetic. This trait shows up in many people with anorexia, bulimia, and self-harming behaviours.
When you feel everything intensely and don’t have the tools to regulate it, behaviours like restriction or suicidal thoughts can feel like a form of relief or control. Understanding this pattern biologically helps reduce shame and create more targeted treatment.
4. Mental health disorders often cluster for a reason.
It’s common to see eating disorders alongside depression, anxiety, or OCD. Now, researchers think there may be a reason these conditions travel together: shared genetic risks that express themselves in different ways depending on environment and personality.
That doesn’t mean everyone with one diagnosis will get another, but it helps explain why treatment often needs to address multiple layers. You’re not just managing food or thoughts; you’re working with an entire neural system wired a certain way.
5. Understanding the link could help predict risk earlier.
If genetic data can help flag people who are more at risk of both eating disorders and suicidality, interventions can start earlier. That doesn’t mean diagnosing from a DNA test, but it does mean looking more closely when the signs show up young. This could be especially life-saving in teens, where early intervention can change everything. If one condition is present, it might become standard to assess for the other—something that hasn’t always been routine.
6. It helps explain why some people relapse despite good treatment.
Many people with eating disorders do all the right things—therapy, support groups, medication—and still find themselves slipping back. If there’s a genetic component involved, it helps explain why sheer willpower isn’t enough. Recovery isn’t linear, especially when your brain is wired for extremes. A genetic lens doesn’t make it hopeless. It just makes it clearer that compassion and tailored support matter more than ever.
7. It challenges the idea that eating disorders are only about body image.
When most people think of anorexia or bulimia, they picture someone obsessed with weight. Of course, this research reinforces something clinicians already know: these disorders are often about emotion regulation, control, and internal pain. Seeing the genetic tie to suicidality strengthens the idea that this isn’t just about appearance. It’s about how the brain processes distress, and that’s a far more complex (and often misunderstood) picture.
8. It could change how medications are developed.
Right now, many treatments for eating disorders are borrowed from other conditions like depression or anxiety. But if there’s a genetic overlap with suicidality, new medication approaches could target shared pathways more directly. This opens the door for better outcomes, especially for those who haven’t responded to traditional methods. It also raises hope for more personalised care that treats the root, not just the symptom.
9. It highlights how stigma still affects treatment.
Many people with eating disorders or suicidal thoughts still feel judged—by doctors, by family, even by themselves. Adding a genetic understanding helps shift the conversation from blame to biology. It doesn’t remove the need for healing. But it reframes the narrative: this isn’t your fault, and it never was. That change alone can make people more willing to ask for help, and to believe they deserve it.
10. It reminds us how deeply connected the mind and body are.
Source: Unsplash This research is about how genes influence feelings, thoughts, behaviours, and how trauma, environment, and biology all intersect. It’s proof that nothing in mental health happens in isolation. For anyone navigating either of these struggles, it’s a reminder that you’re not broken or alone. The systems behind these conditions are real, complex, and increasingly understood, which means better support is finally possible.
