Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 17 May 2022

Joint Committee On Health

Eating Disorders: Bodywhys

Ms Harriet Parsons:

Absolutely, that happens. When somebody has a very low body mass index, BMI, who is essentially starving and cannot think straight, he or she feels very defensive about going into hospital, and can refuse. Inasmuch as possible, the consultant or the team will not force-feed, if they can in any way avoid it, but if it is a question of life or death, they have to intervene. In that case, they will nasogastrically feed a patient. That is where we get into a situation with somebody where the High Court becomes involved and where the person will be made a ward of court. That can often be done with the consent of parents if they cannot get their adult child or adolescent to eat. There is nothing they can do, so they need somebody to step in and say, "Okay, we are going to save them". It is far from an ideal situation and everybody recognises that. Nobody wants to be in a situation where somebody is force-fed because it is not conducive to recovery.

It is also not conducive to having somebody trust the doctors around them. It is only done when there is no other option.