Should the medical profession force-feed anorexics as part of their treatment?


Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder defined as severe, self- inflicted starvation and loss in body weight to at least 15% below that expected for the individual’s sex and height. In the UK (and many other western countries) anorexia nervosa is classified as a mental illness. Anorexia nervosa should not be confused with Bulimia (cycles of bingeing and vomiting). Anorexia is typically associated with women and body image and is thought to be made worse by unrealistic media portrayals of the female body. Having said this, one in ten sufferers is male. Mortality varies between 5% and 18%. Anorexia nervosa has been detected in patients from 6 to 76 years of age and has a far higher incidence in the Developed World, affecting 1% of female adolescents.Patients who are dangerously thin are sometimes force-fed through a naso-gastric (through the nose) tube. Normally, medical treatment cannot be administered without the consent of the patient, however, in the case of mentally ill patients, their distorted perceptions of reality may render them unable to make a choice. Despite this, medical ethics, pragmatics and human rights call the treatment into question.


What do you think??

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that's a very difficult thing to answer I think there are so many issues that would need to be approach and thought through.

obviously this is a very hard decision, it would have to be thought on how at risk their life was, if they were not force fed would they die?? if so then yes even though they will not like it in the end it could help them survive. again, this is another one that would depend on the circumstance. no one can really say unless they are in that position

i think yes they should be force-fed but they would also need a lot of good counselling which i think is quite hard to come by these days

I agree with both points that have been made but I have not long admitted to being anorexics and to be force feed would be strange because for me one reason I did it was because I had control of something in my life I could understand wanting to save somones live.. Sorry guys hope I make sense in what I am trying to say????

I agree

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Counselling is very hard to get when I spoke with the doctor and addmitted to my problem I was not offered it and to date have still not.

Are you OK now?

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Yes not bad managing to get the weight back on now. dropped to 6st in 2 weeks lost 2 and a half stone it was scary I never even seen it in myself till it was getting bad

Good - glad you feeling better

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