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Should allowing patients with anorexia to refuse treatment and potentially face death be a personal choice or a decision for medical professionals to make?
Many patients with anorexia nervosa experience "perceived coercion" from medical professionals, which can lead to feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness.
The primary goal of treatment for anorexia nervosa is to help patients achieve a healthy weight and restore normal eating habits.
Withholding medical treatment or allowing patients to die from anorexia is considered unethical and contravenes the healthcare professional's oath to "do no harm."
The American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) agree that patients with anorexia should receive treatment to the best of their abilities, rather than allowing them to die from the condition.
Patients with anorexia nervosa may experience chronic and enduring physical symptoms, including osteoporosis, thinning of the bones, and lowered sex drive.
Death from anorexia is often attributed to underlying physical health problems, such as organ failure or infection, rather than the anorexia itself.
The concept of "terminal anorexia nervosa" has been proposed to describe a subset of patients with severe and enduring anorexia who feel that further recovery-oriented treatment is futile and wish to stop trying to prolong their lives.
Recent studies have shown that patients with anorexia experience high levels of "perceived coercion" from medical professionals, which can lead to increased psychological distress and resistance to treatment.
The ethics of allowing patients to die from anorexia is a complex and emotionally charged issue, lacking easy answers.
The right to refuse further involuntary treatments has been raised as an important ethical consideration for patients with severe and enduring anorexia.
Some patients with anorexia may stand to benefit little from further treatments and have the right to refuse further involuntary treatments and be allowed to have a palliative plan of care.
The use of palliative care for patients with severe and enduring anorexia has been proposed as an ethically appropriate option.
The concept of "aid in dying" has been raised as an ethically complicated issue related to anorexia, with some proponents arguing that patients with terminal anorexia should be allowed access to assisted suicide.
The diagnosis of "terminal anorexia nervosa" has been proposed to describe a subset of patients with anorexia who feel that further recovery-oriented treatment is futile and wish to stop trying to prolong their lives.
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