Butterfly Foundation believes this is the first case where a death certificate includes a reference to both suicide and anorexia

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A coroner’s ruling that a young woman killed herself while suffering from anorexia nervosa should be the jolt that leads to a “seismic shift” in the way eating disorders are addressed by policy makers, the chief executive of Australia’s peak eating disorder support group says.

Staff failed to notice 23-year-old Alana Goldsmith when she walked out of the private hospital where she was receiving treatment for the eating disorder she had suffered since she was 15. She was found dead a few hours later.



The coroner handed down his findings at the inquest into her death, in July 2012, at the New South Wales coroner’s court in Sydney on Tuesday.



Coroner Mark Douglass found Goldsmith died as a result of committing suicide while suffering from anorexia nervosa, but said the reasons for his finding would not be released until the following week.



The chief executive of the Butterfly Foundation, Christine Morgan, said it was the first case she was aware of in which a death certificate would include a reference to suicide alongside anorexia nervosa.



“If you’re suffering from an eating disorder, and anorexia nervosa in particular, your rate of suicide is 32 times higher than someone who is not suffering,” she said.



“It is a very, very serious mental illness that needs to be recognised for what it is. It is not a lifestyle choice.



“By recognising suicide risk is heightened for someone suffering from anorexia nervosa, this finding can jolt a seismic shift in the way governments resource communities to address eating disorders.”



The latest available figures suggested 914,000 Australians suffered from an eating disorder in 2012, she said, and more than 1,800 died prematurely from an eating disorder in the same year.



Anorexia is the most lethal of all psychiatric disorders. Yet it has been revealed that in NSW, there are only two public adult inpatient eating disorder beds.



Morgan said providing more beds was important, but there was also a dire need for more funding for eating disorder care in the community from psychologists, psychiatrists and GPs.



“The most important thing is to keep somebody [suffering from an eating disorder] safe and the second most important thing is to keep working with them,” Morgan said.



Douglass discussed whether to release Goldsmith's name, but the family’s lawyer said they wanted it made public. Douglass told the court: "I think it is in the public interest these sorts of deaths are the subject of public scrutiny.

"The court gives its support to the family of Alana and particularly her mother, who has persevered on a daily basis after what occurred to her daughter."



Following the coroner’s finding, Goldsmith’s younger sister, Simone, read out on a statement on behalf of her family.



“We hope that the findings handed down today bring about meaningful discussions amongst our health policy makers and lead to decisions that result in more resources and better care for this epidemic facing Australia,’’ she said.



"Alana was a fun-loving, vivacious and intelligent young woman until anorexia nervosa starved her brain and destroyed her hopes and dreams.



“For the last three years our hearts have been heavy without Alana enriching our lives. The inquest has shone a light on the countless issues impacting eating disorder sufferers, carers and practitioners.”



Butterfly Foundation Supportline: 1800 33 4673

Lifeline: 13 11 14