Anorexia nervosa and respecting a refusal of life-prolonging therapy: a limited justification.
نویسنده
چکیده
People who suffer from eating disorders often have to be treated against their will, perhaps by being detained, perhaps by being forced to eat. In this paper it is argued that whilst forcing compliance is generally acceptable, there may be circumstances under which a sufferer's refusal of consent to treatment should be respected. This argument will hinge upon whether someone in the grip of an eating disorder can actually make competent decisions about their quality of life. If so, then the decision to refuse therapy may be on a par with other decisions to refuse life-prolonging therapy made by sufferers of debilitating chronic, or acute onset terminal illness. In such cases, palliation might justifiably replace aggressive therapy. The argument will also draw heavily on the distinction between competent refusal of therapy and passive euthanasia, and the distinction between incompetence and irrational decisions. Both distinctions will then be applied to decisions to refuse food. The extent to which sufferers from anorexia nervosa can be categorised as either incompetent or irrational will be examined. It against this background that it will be argued that at least some of those who suffer from eating disorders should have their refusals respected, even if they may die as a result.
منابع مشابه
Anorexia nervosa and refusal of naso-gastric treatment: a response to Heather Draper.
Imposing artificial feeding on people with anorexia nervosa may be unethical. This seems to be Heather Draper's suggestion in her article, 'Anorexia Nervosa and Respecting a Refusal of Life-Prolonging Therapy: A Limited Justification.' Although this is an important point, I shall show that the arguments supporting this point are flawed. Draper should have made a brave claim: she should have cla...
متن کاملاثربخشی رفتاردرمانی دیالکتیکی بر علائم افسردگی، اضطراب و استرس در بیماران مبتلا به اختلال بی‌اشتهایی عصبی: مورد پژوهی چهار بیمار
Background & Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of dialectic behavioral therapy on depression, anxiety and stress in anorexia nervosa disorder, using a single case design. Materials & Methods: Four consecutive chronic outpatients fulfilling DSM-5 criteria for Anorexia Nervosa disorder were treated according to core treatment manual of Behavioral Activation....
متن کاملTreatment of anorexia nervosa with long-term risperidone in an outpatient setting: case study
INTRODUCTION There are currently few studies focusing on the efficacy of long-term atypical antipsychotics to treat anorexia nervosa in the pediatric population. CASE DESCRIPTION This case report follows the treatment of a 17 year-old female with anorexia nervosa over her four-year undergraduate career. After two years of multidisciplinary treatment, low-dose risperidone was initiated due to ...
متن کاملContribution of social and family factors in anorexia nervosa
Background: Anorexia nervosa is probably the most substantial eating disorder, with basically unknown causes, centered on psychological factors and affected by many social, biological and cultural ones. The aim of this study was to emerge the complex issues regarding the treatment, the early intervention and the prevention of the anorexia nervosa. The method οf this study included a search of t...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید
ثبت ناماگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید
ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Bioethics
دوره 14 2 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2000