The purpose of this study was to determine whether individuals with anorexia nervosa are more likely to commit suicide. Data from death records of over 5 million American women who died from 1986 through 1990 yielded 571 cases in which anorexia nervosa was mentioned as an existing condition. These cases were compared with 1713 matched control subjects. The percentage of suicides among those listed as having anorexia nervosa was only 1.4% compared to 4.1% for the controls. (20 refs.)