‘Terminal Anorexia’: An Invalid Construct That Does Not Justify Medical Aid in Dying

A paper published in the Psychiatric Times argues that the eating disorder anorexia nervosa should not be considered as a justification for euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, or “Medical Aid in Dying” as it euphemistically known in Canada.  The six authors say that AN does not meet the legal criteria and that those who choose it may not have decisional capacity due to their illness.  “The delusional level of cognitive distortions regarding food and body image is the irrational lens through which the decision to refuse treatment and to seek MAID is filtered.  Accordingly, the clinician who assumes that the patient has the capacity to consent to assisted suicide (rather than seeking further treatment) is not relieving the patient’s suffering but is actually furthering and colluding with the disease itself.  This is especially true when individuals with AN are highly ambivalent about recovery.”

Read more: Psychiatric Times