Citation

Guarda AS, Hanson A, Mehler P, Westmoreland P. J. Eat. Disord. 2022; 10(1).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group -BMC)

DOI

10.1186/s40337-022-00599-6

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A recent article (JED 10:23, 2022) proposed defining terminal anorexia to improve access to palliative and hospice care, and to medical aid in dying for a minority of patients with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (SE-AN). The authors presented three cases and, for two, the first author participated in their death. Anorexia nervosa is a treatable psychiatric condition for which recovery may be uncertain. We are greatly concerned however regarding implications of applying the label "terminal" to anorexia nervosa and the risk it will lead to unjustified deaths in individuals whose mental illness impairs their capacity to make a reasoned treatment decision. © 2022, The Author(s).

Language: en

Keywords

Anorexia nervosa; Involuntary treatment; Competence; Capacity; Physician assisted suicide; Medical assistance in dying; Physician assisted death; Severe and enduring anorexia nervosa; Severe and enduring eating disorders; Terminal anorexia