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Kiely L, Conti J, Hay P. Severe and enduring anorexia nervosa and the proposed "Terminal anorexia" category: an expanded meta synthesis. Eat Disord 2024:1-32. [PMID: 39099227 DOI: 10.1080/10640266.2024.2379635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
This updated meta-synthesis explores further dimensions of the lived experience of severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (SE-AN) since recent contention regarding proposed "terminal anorexia nervosa (T-AN)". The paper aims to update the original synthesis and to situate participant responses to the category of "T-AN". Thus, extending the proposed conceptualization of the SE-AN experience. A systematic search identified published scholarship (between August 2022 and July 2023), derived from five bibliographic databases. A comprehensive methodology combining Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and a meta-ethnographic framework enabled the synthesis of meta-themes across 9 new studies. These meta-themes were mapped onto the primary synthesis to further develop upon the earlier LE conceptualization of SE-AN. Nine extracted papers expanded the voices to 447 people within 45 studies. All papers affirmed and enriched the previous themes, and a novel theme was generated from the recent papers. The new theme, "walking on a knife's edge, caught between worlds", informed an expanded conceptualization of SE-AN, termed the Web of Hope. Thus, demonstrating how participants held onto hope in the face of the SE-AN experience. Death, dying and "terminality", were notably absent in the 36 papers in the previous meta-synthesis. Since the proposal of the category of "terminal anorexia" in 2022, studies on the lived experience of SE-AN increasingly focused on how people hold onto hope alongside SE-AN. The findings further drive the field to reflect on therapeutic interventions, labelling and diagnosis, in the face of unknowns, on the premise of "first, do no harm".
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kiely
- School of Medicine, Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, Australia
| | - Janet Conti
- School of Psychology, Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Australia
| | - Phillipa Hay
- School of Medicine, Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, Australia
- Mental Health Services, Camden and Campbelltown Hospitals, SWSLHD, Campbeltown, NSW, Australia
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Roff C, Cook-Cottone C. Assisted death in eating disorders: a systematic review of cases and clinical rationales. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1431771. [PMID: 39143961 PMCID: PMC11322357 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1431771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Assisted dying for reasons solely related to an eating disorder (ED) has occurred in multiple countries, including those which restrict the practice to individuals with a terminal condition. The aims of this systematic review were to (1) identify all known cases of assisted deaths among patients with EDs and (2) describe the clinical rationales used to grant patients' requests for assisted death. Methods We conducted a systematic search of peer-reviewed studies and publicly available government reports to identify cases of assisted death in patients with EDs. In reports that included qualitative data about the case, clinical rationales were extracted and grouped into domains by qualitative content analysis. Results We identified 10 peer-reviewed articles and 20 government reports describing at least 60 patients with EDs who underwent assisted dying between 2012 and 2024. Clinical rationales were categorized into three domains: irremediability, terminality, and voluntary request. Reports emphasized that patients with EDs who underwent assisted death had terminal, incurable, and/or untreatable conditions and had adequate decision-making capacity to make a life-ending decision. Most government reports did not include descriptive-enough data to verify psychiatric conditions. Conclusion The results of our systematic review underscore considerable gaps in the reporting of assisted death in patients with psychiatric conditions, posing substantial concerns about oversight and public safety. In many cases, the clinical rationales that were used to affirm patients with EDs were eligible for assisted death lack validity and do not cohere with empirical understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Catherine Cook-Cottone
- Department of Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
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Westmoreland P, Yager J, Treem J, Mehler PS. Ethical Challenges in the Treatment of Patients With Severe Anorexia Nervosa. FOCUS (AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC PUBLISHING) 2024; 22:344-349. [PMID: 38988464 PMCID: PMC11231468 DOI: 10.1176/appi.focus.20230035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Westmoreland
- ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders, Denver, Colorado (Westmoreland, Mehler); Department of Psychiatry (Westmoreland, Yager) and Department of Medicine (Mehler), University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado; Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, Gaithersburg, Maryland (Treem); Eating Recovery Center, Denver, Colorado (Mehler)
| | - Joel Yager
- ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders, Denver, Colorado (Westmoreland, Mehler); Department of Psychiatry (Westmoreland, Yager) and Department of Medicine (Mehler), University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado; Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, Gaithersburg, Maryland (Treem); Eating Recovery Center, Denver, Colorado (Mehler)
| | - Jonathan Treem
- ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders, Denver, Colorado (Westmoreland, Mehler); Department of Psychiatry (Westmoreland, Yager) and Department of Medicine (Mehler), University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado; Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, Gaithersburg, Maryland (Treem); Eating Recovery Center, Denver, Colorado (Mehler)
| | - Philip S Mehler
- ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders, Denver, Colorado (Westmoreland, Mehler); Department of Psychiatry (Westmoreland, Yager) and Department of Medicine (Mehler), University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado; Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, Gaithersburg, Maryland (Treem); Eating Recovery Center, Denver, Colorado (Mehler)
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Bulik CM. Building Confidence in Discussing Genetics With Patients With Eating Disorders and Their Families. FOCUS (AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC PUBLISHING) 2024; 22:322-327. [PMID: 38988473 PMCID: PMC11231472 DOI: 10.1176/appi.focus.20230040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Many individuals with eating disorders and their family members are well-informed about advances in science that could affect the treatment and outcome of these illnesses. They appropriately apply this knowledge to evaluate available treatments and advocate for the best possible evidence-based care. They ask hard questions that many clinicians are often ill-prepared to answer. Genetics has advanced our understanding of eating disorders and provides a novel lens through which to understand these pernicious illnesses. Clinicians can now update their understanding of the etiology of eating disorders and abandon outdated etiological theories, some of which have done harm to patients and their families. Without becoming expert in psychiatric genetics, psychiatrists and other mental health care professionals can develop a general overview of the science, understand what it can and cannot offer, incorporate genetic factors into their case conceptualizations, and boost their confidence in discussing these topics with patients and families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia M Bulik
- Departments of Psychiatry and Nutrition, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Elwyn R, Adams M, Sharpe SL, Silverstein S, LaMarre A, Downs J, Burnette CB. Discordant conceptualisations of eating disorder recovery and their influence on the construct of terminality. J Eat Disord 2024; 12:70. [PMID: 38831456 PMCID: PMC11145809 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-024-01016-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Eating disorders (EDs) are complex, multifaceted conditions that significantly impact quality-of-life, often co-occur with multiple medical and psychiatric diagnoses, and are associated with a high risk of medical sequelae and mortality. Fortunately, many people recover even after decades of illness, although there are different conceptualisations of recovery and understandings of how recovery is experienced. Differences in these conceptualisations influence categorisations of ED experiences (e.g., longstanding vs. short-duration EDs), prognoses, recommended treatment pathways, and research into treatment outcomes. Within recent years, the proposal of a 'terminal' illness stage for a subset of individuals with anorexia nervosa and arguments for the prescription of end-of-life pathways for such individuals has ignited debate. Semantic choices are influential in ED care, and it is critical to consider how conceptualisations of illness and recovery and power dynamics influence outcomes and the ED 'staging' discourse. Conceptually, 'terminality' interrelates with understandings of recovery, efficacy of available treatments, iatrogenic harm, and complex co-occurring diagnoses, as well as the functions of an individual's eating disorder, and the personal and symbolic meanings an individual may hold regarding suffering, self-starvation, death, health and life. Our authorship represents a wide range of lived and living experiences of EDs, treatment, and recovery, ranging from longstanding and severe EDs that may meet descriptors of a 'terminal' ED to a variety of definitions of 'recovery'. Our experiences have given rise to a shared motivation to analyse how existing discourses of terminality and recovery, as found in existing research literature and policy, may shape the conceptualisations, beliefs, and actions of individuals with EDs and the healthcare systems that seek to serve them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosiel Elwyn
- Neuroscience and psychiatry, Thompson Institute, Birtinya, QLD, Australia
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Birtinya, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Sam L Sharpe
- Fighting Eating Disorders in Underrepresented Populations (FEDUP, Collective), West Palm Beach, FL, USA
| | | | | | | | - C Blair Burnette
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA.
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Downs J. Care pathways for longstanding eating disorders must offer paths to recovery, not managed decline. BJPsych Bull 2024; 48:177-181. [PMID: 37287111 PMCID: PMC11134004 DOI: 10.1192/bjb.2023.38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Eating disorders are historically underserved in healthcare, but are increasingly prevalent and recognised for their high costs regarding mortality, quality of life and the economy. Those with longstanding eating disorders are commonly labelled 'severe and enduring' (SEED), which has been challenged for its conceptual vagueness and potential to discourage patients. Attempts to define individuals from this cohort as having 'terminal' illness have also gained traction in recent years. This paper is grounded in lived/living experience and relevant research. It challenges the logical coherence and utility of SEED, arguing that the word 'enduring' unhelpfully situates intractability of longstanding illness within patients themselves and the nature of their illness. This risks a sense of inevitability and overlooks the important role of contextual factors such as lacking resources and insufficient evidence for withholding active treatment. Recommendations suggest approaches to dismantling unhelpful binaries between early intervention and intensive support, recovery and decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Downs
- Patient Representative, Faculty of Eating Disorders, Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK
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Robison M, Udupa NS, Abber SR, Duffy A, Riddle M, Manwaring J, Rienecke RD, Westmoreland P, Blalock DV, Le Grange D, Mehler PS, Joiner TE. "Terminal anorexia nervosa" may not be terminal: An empirical evaluation. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND CLINICAL SCIENCE 2024; 133:285-296. [PMID: 38619462 PMCID: PMC11062513 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Gaudiani et al. (2022) presented terminal anorexia nervosa (T-AN) as a potential new specifier to the anorexia nervosa (AN) diagnosis, with criteria including (a) AN diagnosis, (b) age > 30 years, (c) previously participated in high-quality care, and (d) the clear, consistent determination by a patient with decision-making capacity that additional treatment would be futile, knowing death will result. This study's purpose was to empirically examine a subgroup of participants with AN who met the first three criteria of T-AN-and a smaller subset who also met a proxy index of the fourth criterion involving death (TD-AN)-and compare them to an adult "not terminal" anorexia nervosa (NT-AN) group and to a "not terminal" subset 30 years of age or older (NTO-AN). Patients at U.S. eating disorder treatment facilities (N = 782; T-AN: n = 51, TD-AN: n = 16, NT-AN: n = 731, NTO-AN: n = 133), all of whom met criteria for a current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition diagnosis of AN, were compared regarding admission, discharge, and changes from admission to discharge on physiological indices (i.e., white blood cell counts, albumin levels, aspartate aminotransferase levels, and body mass index), as well as self-report measures (i.e., eating disorder, depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms). In contrast to the tight syndromal symptom interconnections of, and inevitable spiral toward death expected for, a terminal diagnosis, results suggest substantial variability within the T-AN group and TD-AN subset, and an overall trend of improvement across physiological and self-report measures. This study thus provides some empirical evidence against the specification of the T-AN diagnosis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Alan Duffy
- Eating Recovery Center, Denver, Colorado, United States
- Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center, Denver, Colorado, United States
| | - Megan Riddle
- ACUTE at Denver Health, Denver, Colorado, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
| | - Jamie Manwaring
- Eating Recovery Center, Denver, Colorado, United States
- Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center, Denver, Colorado, United States
- ACUTE at Denver Health, Denver, Colorado, United States
| | - Renee D. Rienecke
- Eating Recovery Center, Denver, Colorado, United States
- Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center, Denver, Colorado, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University
| | | | - Dan V. Blalock
- Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine
| | - Daniel Le Grange
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago
| | - Philip S. Mehler
- Eating Recovery Center, Denver, Colorado, United States
- Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center, Denver, Colorado, United States
- ACUTE at Denver Health, Denver, Colorado, United States
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine
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Pope TM, Brodoff L. Medical aid in dying to avoid late-stage dementia. J Am Geriatr Soc 2024; 72:1216-1222. [PMID: 38315000 DOI: 10.1111/jgs.18785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Many patients with dementia want the option of using medical aid in dying (MAID) to end their lives before losing decision-making capacity and other abilities that impact their desired quality of life. But, for over two decades, it has been widely understood that these patients cannot (solely because of their dementia diagnosis) satisfy three statutory eligibility requirements in all U.S. MAID laws: (1) decisional capacity, (2) the ability to self-administer the life-ending medications, and (3) a terminal condition with 6 months or less to live. Now, because of recent statutory amendments together with the use of voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED) to quickly advance to a terminal condition, this dementia exclusion from MAID might no longer apply. If combining VSED and MAID is now a possibility for patients with dementia, then clinicians need more guidance on whether and when to support patients seeking to take this path. In this article, we begin to provide this guidance. First, we describe the recent case of an Oregon patient with early-stage Alzheimer's dementia who successfully used VSED to qualify for and use MAID. Second, we discuss prior barriers to using VSED as a bridge to MAID for people with dementia. Third, we describe recent legal changes that might make this path now possible.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisa Brodoff
- Seattle University School of Law, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Kiely L, Conti J, Hay P. Anorexia nervosa through the lens of a severe and enduring experience: 'lost in a big world'. J Eat Disord 2024; 12:12. [PMID: 38254163 PMCID: PMC10804804 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-023-00953-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (SE-AN), is a serious and persistent illness, despite 'state of the art' treatment. Criteria have been theoretically proposed, but not tested, and may not adequately capture illness complexity, which potentially inhibits treatment refinements. The clinical reality of death as an outcome for some people who experience SE-AN (1 in 20) and broadening access to voluntary assisted dying, further complicates the field, which is undeveloped regarding more fundamental concepts such as nosology, treatment, recovery definitions and alternative conceptualisations of SE-AN. The present paper is in response to this and aims to build upon qualitative literature to enhance phenomenological understandings of fatal SE-AN. METHOD A published book, being the legacy of a 32-year-old professional artist offers a rich account of a life lived with AN, for 18 years with continuous treatment. A polysemous narrative via the interrelationship between the languages of the artist's words and visual art is translated via interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), offering rich insight into the SE-AN experience. FINDINGS The process of analysis induced three superordinate themes (1) Disappearing Self (2) Dialectical Dilemma (3) Death and Dying: Finding Meaning. Two cross cutting themes traversed these themes: (a) Colour and (b) Shifting Hope, where the former produced a visual representation via the 'SE-AN Kaleidoscope'. Collectively the themes produce a concept of SE-AN, grounded in the data and depicted visually through the artist's paintings. CONCLUSIONS The picture of SE-AN revealed in the analysis extends upon conceptualisations of SE-AN, highlighting key processes which are thus far under explored. These factors are implicated in illness persistence eliciting opportunities for further research testing including diagnostic considerations and treatment directions. In SE-AN, distorted body image extends to a global distortion in the perception of self. Additional criteria for the severe and enduring stages of illness related to (1) self and identity processes (2) measures of 'global impoverishment' across life domains are proposed for consideration in the future testing of putative defining features of SE-AN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kiely
- School of Medicine, Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Janet Conti
- School of Psychology, Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Phillipa Hay
- School of Medicine, Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
- Mental Health Services, Camden and Campbelltown Hospitals, SWSLHD, Campbeltown, NSW, 2560, Australia
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Cummings MP, Alexander RK, Boswell RG. "Ordinary days would be extraordinary": The lived experiences of severe and enduring anorexia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord 2023; 56:2273-2282. [PMID: 37732708 DOI: 10.1002/eat.24058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Approximately 25% of individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) experience a chronic form of the disorder, referred to as severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (SE-AN). Although the classification of SE-AN remains preliminary, there have been increasing calls for a harm reduction-based, collaborative treatment model for these patients. To provide such care for patients with SE-AN, it is critical to listen to and learn from their lived experiences. METHOD Patients (N = 17) admitted to an inpatient eating disorders program who met initial criteria for SE-AN completed semi-structured interviews about the course of their illness and prior treatment episodes. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed using an inductive, reflexive approach to thematic analysis that examined common themes within and across interviews. RESULTS Three themes were identified focused on (1) the all-encompassing nature of SE-AN, (2) treatment experiences, and (3) living with chronic illness. Within these themes, there were subthemes. Overall, individuals noted clear insight about their condition, both negative and positive experiences with previous treatment, and hope for better quality of life despite their illness. DISCUSSION Individuals with SE-AN describe their illness as a chronic condition and hope for a harm reduction-based treatment. Future work, including the lived experiences of individuals with SE-AN, is important to build our understanding of the classification and clinical characteristics of SE-AN and to develop treatment approaches that may best serve these individuals. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE Many people with anorexia nervosa do not achieve a full recovery despite repeated treatment episodes throughout their lifespan. Understanding the lived experiences of individuals with SE-AN may help to inform future treatment development efforts that could improve eating disorder and quality of life outcomes for these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melinda Parisi Cummings
- Graduate Counseling Psychology Department, Holy Family University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Robbi K Alexander
- Princeton Center for Eating Disorders, Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, Plainsboro, New Jersey, USA
| | - Rebecca G Boswell
- Princeton Center for Eating Disorders, Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, Plainsboro, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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Mangweth-Matzek B, Kummer KK, Hoek HW. Update on the epidemiology and treatment of eating disorders among older people. Curr Opin Psychiatry 2023; 36:405-411. [PMID: 37471308 PMCID: PMC10552830 DOI: 10.1097/yco.0000000000000893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW We reviewed the recent literature on the epidemiology and treatment of eating disorders among middle-aged and older women and men. RECENT FINDINGS Recent studies show that among older female persons, the prevalence rates with full diagnoses of eating disorders based on DSM-IV or DSM-5 criteria are between 2.1 and 7.7%, and among older men less than 1%. These studies show that the prevalence of eating disorders decreases by age in women, but it does not get towards zero even in very high age. Middle age, with a peak around 50, is also a critical time for the occurrence of eating disorders in men. Women who reported severe menopausal symptoms showed more eating disorder pathology compared with those with low symptoms during menopausal transition. SUMMARY Eating disorders do occur in middle and older age of both sexes. Shame and stigmatization have decreased, and medical awareness and explicit assessment of eating behavior in all age groups have developed. What puberty is for eating disorders in adolescence and young age is menopausal transition for midlife women. Also in men, associations with hormonal disturbances are possible. Treatment approaches should consider treatment strategies tailored to older women and men, addressing the context of midlife and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Mangweth-Matzek
- University Hospital of Psychiatry II, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology
| | - Kai K. Kummer
- University Hospital of Psychiatry II, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology
- Institute of Physiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Hans W. Hoek
- Parnassia Psychiatric Institute, The Hague
- Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, New York, USA
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Phillipou A. The importance of terminology, lived experience inclusion and scientific discussion regarding end-of-life care in anorexia nervosa: a response to Gaudiani et al. J Eat Disord 2023; 11:145. [PMID: 37626431 PMCID: PMC10464040 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-023-00872-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Whether or not to define 'terminal anorexia nervosa' has been a hotly debated topic in the eating disorders field recently. Being able to have open scientific debate on important topics such as this is essential for the progress of our field-but needs to be undertaken respectfully, allowing all perspectives to be heard. My personal perspective on this topic comes from being a researcher who sees individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) across all stages of illness and recovery, as well as having had a loved one die from AN. Although I disagree with the terminology of 'terminal AN' and believe that establishing criteria has the potential to cause harm, I strongly believe in showing compassion to individuals with AN across all illness stages, including those who may wish to seek end-of-life care. This is a complex issue that our field requires guidance on, and we need to work in genuine collaboration with individuals with lived experience of AN to figure out how to appropriately approach end-of-life care when it is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Phillipou
- Orygen, 35 Poplar Rd, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia.
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
- Department of Mental Health, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
- Department of Mental Health, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia.
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
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13
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Kiely L, Conti J, Hay P. Conceptualisation of severe and enduring anorexia nervosa: a qualitative meta-synthesis. BMC Psychiatry 2023; 23:606. [PMID: 37596588 PMCID: PMC10439651 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05098-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (SE-AN) is amongst the most impairing of all mental illnesses. Collective uncertainties about SE-AN nosology impacts treatment refinement. Qualitative research, particularly lived experience literature, can contribute to a process of revision and enrichment of understanding the SE-AN experience and further develop treatment interventions. Poor outcomes to date, as evidenced in clinical trials and mortality for people with SE-AN (1 in 20) demonstrate the need for research that informs conceptualisations and novel treatment directions. This interpretative, meta-ethnographic meta-synthesis aimed to bridge this gap. METHODS A systematic search for qualitative studies that explored the AN experiences of people with a duration of greater than 3 years was undertaken. These studies included those that encompassed phenomenology, treatment experiences and recovery. RESULTS 36 papers, comprising 382 voices of SE-AN experiences informed the meta-ethnographic findings. Four higher order constructs were generated through a synthesis of themes and participant extracts cited in the extracted papers: (1) Vulnerable sense of self (2) Intra-psychic processes (3) Global impoverishment (4) Inter-psychic temporal processes. Running across these meta-themes were three cross cutting themes (i) Treatment: help versus harm, (ii) Shifts in control (iii) Hope versus hopelessness. These meta-themes were integrated into conceptualisations of SE-AN that was experienced as a recursive process of existential self-in-relation to other and the anorexia nervosa trap. CONCLUSIONS The alternative conceptualisation of SE-AN proposed in this paper poses a challenge to current conceptualisations of AN and calls for treatments to engage with the complex intra and inter-psychic processes of the SE-AN, more fully. In doing so, clinicians and researchers are asked to continue to be bold in testing novel ideas that may challenge our own rigidity and attachment to dominant paradigms to best serve the individual person with SE-AN. The 'global impoverishment of self', found in this synthesis of AN experiences, should inform proposed diagnostic criteria for SE-AN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kiely
- School of Medicine, Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Janet Conti
- School of Psychology, Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Phillipa Hay
- School of Medicine, Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University. Mental Health Services, Camden and Campbelltown Hospitals, SWSLHD, Campbeltown, NSW, Australia
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Kious BM. Medical Assistance in Dying in Neurology. Neurol Clin 2023; 41:443-454. [PMID: 37407098 DOI: 10.1016/j.ncl.2023.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
An increasing number of jurisdictions have legalized medical assistance in dying (MAID) with significant variation in the procedures and eligibility criteria used. In the United States, MAID is available for persons with terminal illnesses but is frequently sought by persons with neurologic conditions. Persons with conditions that cause cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer dementia, are often ineligible for MAID, as their illness is not considered terminal in its early stages, whereas in later stages, they may have impaired decision-making capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent M Kious
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Bioethics and Health Humanities, University of Utah, 501 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA.
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15
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Abstract
Having suffered from longstanding anorexia nervosa (AN) for more than a decade, and after meeting many patients who have also been labelled as 'treatment-resistant', 'treatment-refractory', or similar terms, I feel a strong responsibility to express my deep fears and sadness about the more harmful new label of 'terminal anorexia'. This article is based on a reflective and private email that I emotionally wrote in Autumn 2022, soon after reading a thought-provoking paper (Guarda et al. in J Eat Disord 10:79, 2022) about the new term. When I wrote the email, I had not read the Gaudiani et al. (J Eat Disord 10:23, 2022) paper that proposed clinical characteristics for the new diagnosis. Hence, my email was not, and this article is not, a response to Gaudiani et al. (2022). Challenging the criteria that they proposed is beyond the scope of this article, which is just a lived experience reaction to the concept of 'terminal anorexia' (regardless of who created it and who tries to define it).Before learning about 'terminal anorexia' in 2022, I assumed that 'unconditional positive regard' included mental health professionals' unconditional hope for their patients' ability to live meaningful lives, irrespective of how severe or chronic their patients' conditions were. Therefore, I was very disheartened when the label 'terminal anorexia' was circulated by professionals. Research is not just read, seen, and heard about by the professionals who promote it. Vulnerable and conflicted eating disorder (ED) sufferers, and their families, can be victims of theoretical academic discourse that has real-world, life-or-death implications.The purpose of my article is not to suppress the arbitrary new term, which is sadly already commonly used in clinical practice and amongst very young ED sufferers, despite it having no agreed definition. I intend to outline some of the reasons why I believe that the term (not its hypothesised criteria, which are beyond the scope of my article) is harming ED sufferers, so that these harms can be addressed before it is too late. I have grouped these reasons into six key themes that inevitably overlap and cannot be perfectly separated. They are: [1] Hope and identity destruction; [2] Avoidance and collusion; [3] Self-diagnosis and misdiagnosis; [4] Comparisons; [5] Dangerous precedents; [6] Current and future treatments.
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16
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Weber S, Paulzen M, Elsner F, Weeger-Elsner S, Groß D, Trachsel M, Rolke R, Westermair AL. [Does anorexia nervosa qualify for specialized palliative care?]. DER NERVENARZT 2023:10.1007/s00115-023-01498-0. [PMID: 37249598 DOI: 10.1007/s00115-023-01498-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sascha Weber
- Klinik für Palliativmedizin, Medizinische Fakultät, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Deutschland
- Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik, Medizinische Fakultät, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Deutschland
| | - Michael Paulzen
- Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik, Medizinische Fakultät, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Deutschland
- Alexianer Krankenhaus, Aachen, Deutschland
| | - Frank Elsner
- Klinik für Palliativmedizin, Medizinische Fakultät, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Deutschland
| | | | - Dominik Groß
- Institut für Geschichte, Theorie und Ethik der Medizin, Medizinische Fakultät, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Deutschland
| | - Manuel Trachsel
- Abteilung Klinische Ethik, Universitätsspital Basel (USB), Universitäre Psychiatrische Kliniken (UPK), Universitäre Altersmedizin Felix-Platter (UAFP), Universitäres Kinderspital beider Basel (UKBB), Spitalstrasse 21, 4031, Basel, Schweiz
| | - Roman Rolke
- Klinik für Palliativmedizin, Medizinische Fakultät, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Deutschland
| | - Anna L Westermair
- Abteilung Klinische Ethik, Universitätsspital Basel (USB), Universitäre Psychiatrische Kliniken (UPK), Universitäre Altersmedizin Felix-Platter (UAFP), Universitäres Kinderspital beider Basel (UKBB), Spitalstrasse 21, 4031, Basel, Schweiz.
- Institut für Biomedizinische Ethik und Geschichte der Medizin, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz.
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17
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Yager J, Gaudiani JL, Treem J. Regardless of inequities in care, terminal anorexia nervosa exists: a response to Sharpe et al. J Eat Disord 2023; 11:79. [PMID: 37210529 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-023-00808-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023] Open
Abstract
We are pleased that the concept of terminal anorexia nervosa is being considered in serious discussion. Our previous presentations were not intended to assess eating disorders care broadly, but solely to bring attention to the importance of end-of-life care issues for patients with anorexia nervosa. Regardless of differences in ability to access or utilize health care resources, inescapably, individuals contending with end-stage malnutrition due to anorexia nervosa who refuse further nutrition will progressively decline, and some will die as a result. Our description of these patients' last days and weeks as "terminal" and meriting thoughtful end-of-life care is consistent with how the term is used in other end-stage terminal conditions. We clearly acknowledged that precise definitions and guidelines for end-of-life care for these patients should be developed by the eating disorder and palliative care fields. Avoiding the phrase "terminal anorexia nervosa" will not make these phenomena disappear. We are sorry that some individuals are upset by this concept. Our intention is certainly not to demoralize by "triggering" fears of hopelessness or death. But these discussions will inevitably distress some people. Individuals who are adversely affected by considering these issues might well benefit from further explorations, clarifications, and discussions with their clinicians and others. Finally, we clearly applaud expanding treatment options and availability, and we strongly advocate for making every effort to provide every patient every possible option for treatment and recovery at every phase of their struggles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel Yager
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA.
| | | | - Jonathan Treem
- Department of General Internal Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
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18
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Sharpe SL, Adams M, Smith EK, Urban B, Silverstein S. Inaccessibility of care and inequitable conceptions of suffering: a collective response to the construction of "terminal" anorexia nervosa. J Eat Disord 2023; 11:66. [PMID: 37131268 PMCID: PMC10152768 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-023-00791-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Informed by our lived experiences with eating disorders, our work providing direct support to communities underserved by existing healthcare structures, and our commitment to social justice, we are deeply troubled by several aspects of the proposed characteristics for "terminal" anorexia nervosa outlined by Gaudiani et al. in Journal of Eating Disorders (10:23, 2022). We have identified two substantial areas of concern in the proposed characteristics provided by Gaudiani et al. and the subsequent publication by Yager et al. (10:123, 2022). First, the original article and the subsequent publication fail to adequately address the widespread inaccessibility of eating disorder treatment, the lack of parameters for what constitutes "high quality care", and the prevalence of trauma experienced in treatment settings for those who do access treatment. Second, the characteristics proposed for "terminal" anorexia nervosa are constructed largely based on subjective and inconsistent valuations of suffering which build on and contribute to harmful and inaccurate eating disorder stereotypes. Overall, we believe these proposed characteristics in their current form stand to detract from, rather than assist, the ability of patients and providers to make informed, compassionate, and patient-centered decisions about safety and autonomy both for individuals with enduring eating disorders and for individuals with more recently diagnosed eating disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam L Sharpe
- Fighting Eating Disorders in Underrepresented Populations (FEDUP) Collective, 4400 North Congress Avenue Suite 100, West Palm Beach, FL, 33407, USA.
| | - Marissa Adams
- Fighting Eating Disorders in Underrepresented Populations (FEDUP) Collective, 4400 North Congress Avenue Suite 100, West Palm Beach, FL, 33407, USA
| | - Emil K Smith
- Fighting Eating Disorders in Underrepresented Populations (FEDUP) Collective, 4400 North Congress Avenue Suite 100, West Palm Beach, FL, 33407, USA
| | - Bek Urban
- Fighting Eating Disorders in Underrepresented Populations (FEDUP) Collective, 4400 North Congress Avenue Suite 100, West Palm Beach, FL, 33407, USA
| | - Scout Silverstein
- Fighting Eating Disorders in Underrepresented Populations (FEDUP) Collective, 4400 North Congress Avenue Suite 100, West Palm Beach, FL, 33407, USA
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19
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Mehler PS, Anderson K, Bauschka M, Cost J, Farooq A. Emergency room presentations of people with anorexia nervosa. J Eat Disord 2023; 11:16. [PMID: 36759897 PMCID: PMC9909152 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-023-00742-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
People with anorexia nervosa (AN) tend to shy away from engaging in typical primary care provider relationships in order to avoid detection. Therefore, they may seek care for their medical concerns through a local emergency department (ED). Inherently, AN is associated with a litany of medical complications, which become more prevalent as the severity of their eating disorder increases. Notwithstanding the typical young age at the onset of AN, no body system is immune to these medical complications. Thus, ED providers may need to pursue a medical diagnosis in order to explain presenting symptoms in people with AN. In addition to the medical issues, AN is also a serious mental illness with high mortality rates, including deaths by suicide. Therefore, ED providers also need to be familiar with relevant mental health issues for these people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip S Mehler
- ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders at Denver Health, Denver, CO, USA. .,University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO, USA.
| | - Kristin Anderson
- ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders at Denver Health, Denver, CO, USA.,University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Maryrose Bauschka
- ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders at Denver Health, Denver, CO, USA.,University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jeana Cost
- ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders at Denver Health, Denver, CO, USA.,Eating Recovery Center, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Asma Farooq
- ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders at Denver Health, Denver, CO, USA.,University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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20
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Downs J, Ayton A, Collins L, Baker S, Missen H, Ibrahim A. Untreatable or unable to treat? Creating more effective and accessible treatment for long-standing and severe eating disorders. Lancet Psychiatry 2023; 10:146-154. [PMID: 36697122 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(22)00400-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The evidence base for the treatment of severe eating disorders is limited. In addition to improving access to early intervention, there is a need to develop more effective treatments for complex presentations of eating disorders. For patients with long-standing and severe illnesses, particular difficulties might exist with their engagement with treatment and achieving treatment outcomes. Alarmingly, there is an emerging international discourse about a concept labelled as terminal anorexia and about the withdrawal of treatment for people with severe eating disorders, resulting in the death of patients, as a legitimate option. This concept has arisen in the context of vastly overstretched specialist services and insufficient research and funding for new treatments. This Personal View combines multiple perspectives from carers, patients, and mental health professionals based in the UK, highlighting how the risks of current service provision are best alleviated by increasing resources, capacity, and training, and not by a narrowing of the criteria according to which patients with eating disorders are offered the care and support they need.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Downs
- Royal College of Psychiatrists, London, UK; Faculty of Wellbeing, Education, and Language Studies, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
| | - Agnes Ayton
- Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
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21
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Barko EB, Moorman SM. Weighing in: qualitative explorations of weight restoration as recovery in anorexia nervosa. J Eat Disord 2023; 11:14. [PMID: 36721222 PMCID: PMC9887881 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-023-00736-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anorexia Nervosa (AN) continues to capture the public's imagination, centered around physical appearance, particularly weight. Clinical conceptions of AN also emphasize weight. The objective of this study was to explore how individuals with lived AN experience thought about the role of weight in illness and recovery. METHODS The current study employed a grounded theory approach through qualitative inductive inquiry and analysis of 150 anonymous narratives, exploring firsthand experience of AN and recovery of adult individuals, based in the United States of America. RESULTS Individuals with AN histories contested intersecting popular cultural and medical presumptions of their health and illness positioned in weight. Respondents indicated that while weight does not measure recovery, it matters to recovery in unanticipated ways. Others' expectations for a low weight served as a gatekeeper to various forms of social and institutional support. Respondents felt that the weight obsessions of other people made it difficult to earn the illness legitimacy to access sufficient care. CONCLUSIONS Research findings bear implications for future AN research, advocacy, and clinical practice, as respondents pivot research emphasis from weight as a sociocultural motivation for AN, to weight as a sociocultural obstacle to AN recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily B Barko
- Department of Sociology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, McGuinn Hall 426, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
| | - Sara M Moorman
- Department of Sociology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, McGuinn Hall 426, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
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22
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Elwyn R. A lived experience response to the proposed diagnosis of terminal anorexia nervosa: learning from iatrogenic harm, ambivalence and enduring hope. J Eat Disord 2023; 11:2. [PMID: 36604749 PMCID: PMC9815687 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-022-00729-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The ethical approach to treatment non-response and treatment refusal in severe-enduring anorexia nervosa (SE-AN) is the source of significant ethical debate, particularly given the risk of death by suicide or medical complications. A recent article proposed criteria to define when anorexia nervosa (AN) can be diagnosed as 'terminal' in order to facilitate euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide (EAS), otherwise known as medical assistance in dying, for individuals who wish to be relieved of suffering and accept treatment as 'futile'. This author utilises their personal lived experience to reflect on the issues raised, including: treatment refusal, iatrogenic harm, suicidality and desire to end suffering, impact of diagnosis/prognosis, schemas, alexithymia, countertransference, ambivalence, and holding on to hope. Within debates as critical as the bioethics of involuntary treatment, end-of-life and EAS in eating disorders, it is crucial that the literature includes multiple cases and perspectives of individuals with SE-AN that represent a wide range of experiences and explores the complexity of enduring AN illness, complex beliefs, communication patterns and relational dynamics that occur in SE-AN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosiel Elwyn
- Thompson Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Birtinya, QLD, Australia.
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23
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Abstract
LEARNING OBJECTIVES After completing this activity, practitioners will be better able to:• Discuss the growing body literature emphasizing moderation and harm-reduction in patients with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (SE-AN)• Outline and discuss the legal, ethical, and medical challenges inpatient providers face when treating patients with SE-AN. ABSTRACT Patients with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (SE-AN) present numerous clinical and ethical challenges for the hospital psychiatrist. Patients typically come to the hospital in a state of severe medical compromise. Common difficulties in the period of acute medical stabilization include assessment of decision-making capacity and the right to decline treatment, as well as legally complex decisions pertaining to administering artificial nutrition over the patient's objection. Following acute medical stabilization, the psychiatric consultant must decide whether psychiatric hospitalization for continued treatment is indicated, and if so, whether involuntary hospitalization is indicated. The standard of care in these situations is unclear. Pragmatic issues such as lack of appropriate facilities for specialized treatment are common. If involuntary hospitalization is not approved or not pursued, there may be difficulty in determining whether, when, and how to involve palliative care consultants to guide further management. These cases are complex and largely reside in a medico-legal and ethical gray area. This article discusses the difficulties associated with these cases and supports a growing body of literature emphasizing moderation and harm-reduction in patients with SE-AN. Physician-assisted dying (PAD) is also discussed.
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Yager J, Gaudiani JL, Treem J. Eating disorders and palliative care specialists require definitional consensus and clinical guidance regarding terminal anorexia nervosa: addressing concerns and moving forward. J Eat Disord 2022; 10:135. [PMID: 36068601 PMCID: PMC9450436 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-022-00659-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Premature deaths are estimated to occur in 5-20% of patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). Among them, some patients with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (SE-AN) will die due to the medical complications of malnutrition or to suicide. Almost no literature provides guidance to patients, clinicians, and loved ones regarding clinical characteristics of those with SE-AN who recognize and accept the fact that they will not be able to survive their disease. Consistent with general medical literature on terminal illness and based on the authors' work with patients at this phase of life, we previously described four clinical characteristics of the small group of SE-AN patients who may be considered to have a terminal eating disorder. Following publication of this article, several opinions objecting to these formulations were published. The goals of this article are to respond to the key themes of concern posed by these objections, to extend our discussion of the palliative care and associated needs of these patients and their families, and to suggest ways in which the eating disorder and palliative care fields might develop more definitive criteria and consensus guidelines for the assessment and management of these patients. METHODS Based on a selective narrative review of the literature, our combined experiences with these patients, and clinical reasoning, we address critiques grouped around five major themes: that (1) labels such as terminal AN are dangerous; (2) since AN is a treatable disorder, no SE-AN patients should be considered terminal; (3) a terminal psychiatric condition cannot be defined; (4) the proposed definition is not specific enough; and (5) considerations regarding mental capacity in the proposed criteria do not sufficiently account for the psycho-cognitive impairments in AN. RESULTS Our analysis responds to the critiques of our original proposed clinical characteristics of those with terminal AN. While refuting many of these critiques, we also appreciate the opportunity to refine our discussion of this complex topic and identify that there are multiple stages of SE-AN that can result in good clinical outcomes. Only when all of these have failed to provide adequate amelioration of suffering do a low number of patients progress to terminal AN. CONCLUSIONS By further refining our discussion of terminal AN, we aim to encourage eating disorders and palliative care specialists to develop expert consensus definitions for terminal AN and to generate authoritative clinical guidance for management of this population. By validating terminal AN as a distinct condition, patients with this subcategory of SE-AN, their families, and their caregivers facing end-of-life concerns may be better able to access palliative and hospice care and related services to help improve their overall experiences at this phase of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel Yager
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | | | - Jonathan Treem
- Department of General Internal Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
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25
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Mack RA, Stanton CE. Responding to "Terminal anorexia nervosa: three cases and proposed clinical characteristics". J Eat Disord 2022; 10:87. [PMID: 35752866 PMCID: PMC9233818 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-022-00612-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The treatment of eating disorders raises many ethical debates given the pervasiveness with which this illness impacts individuals, especially as the length of time with the illness increases. A recent case study supported the appropriateness of pursuing medical aid in dying for individuals with eating disorders who wish to end their fight with their disorder. This correspondence raises concerns related to this controversial proposal as the current authors dispute that the use of medical aid in dying for individuals with eating disorders is ethically judicious or appropriate. Additionally, this correspondence highlights additional treatment implications that should be considered when trying to provide individuals with eating disorders with the best evidence-based care possible, with the goal of promoting steps toward recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekah A Mack
- The Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
| | - Caroline E Stanton
- The Medical University of South Carolina, 151 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
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26
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Riddle M, O'Melia AM, Bauschka M. First, do no harm: the proposed definition of "terminal anorexia" is fraught with danger for vulnerable individuals. J Eat Disord 2022; 10:81. [PMID: 35710504 PMCID: PMC9202193 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-022-00605-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A recent article in the Journal of Eating Disorders (10:23, 2022) proposed criteria for "terminal anorexia" with a cited goal of improving access to end-of-life care (Gaudiani et al. in J Eat Disord 10(1):23, 2022). The authors presented three cases in which patients received end-of-life care, including the prescription of medical assistance in dying (MAID), also known as physician-assisted suicide (PAS). The proposed criteria lack the evidence base for adoption and do not acknowledge the compelling evidence that exists surrounding possible prolonged timelines to recovery for some individuals and the nuances of assessing capacity in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Riddle
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Anne Marie O'Melia
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA
| | - Maryrose Bauschka
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 13001 E 17th Pl, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
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27
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Guarda AS, Hanson A, Mehler P, Westmoreland P. Terminal anorexia nervosa is a dangerous term: it cannot, and should not, be defined. J Eat Disord 2022; 10:79. [PMID: 35672780 PMCID: PMC9175496 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-022-00599-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela S Guarda
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
| | - Annette Hanson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland, Jessup, MD, 20794, USA
| | - Philip Mehler
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Patricia Westmoreland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
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28
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Stoll J, Mathew A, Venkateswaran C, Prabhakaran A, Westermair AL, Trachsel M. Palliative Psychiatry for Patients With Severe and Persistent Mental Illness: A Survey on the Attitudes of Psychiatrists in India Compared to Psychiatrists in Switzerland. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:858699. [PMID: 35693967 PMCID: PMC9178077 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.858699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Palliative psychiatry is a new approach for the care of patients with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) which systematically considers biological, psychological, social, and existential factors of care. To assess the attitudes of psychiatrists in India toward palliative psychiatry for patients with SPMI and to compare these to the attitudes of psychiatrists in Switzerland. METHODS In an online survey, data from 206 psychiatrists in India were collected and compared with data from a previous survey among 457 psychiatrists in Switzerland. RESULTS Psychiatrists in India generally considered it very important to prevent suicide in SPMI patients (97.6%). At the same time, they considered it very important to reduce suffering (98.1%) and to ensure functionality in everyday life (95.6%). They agreed that palliative psychiatry is important for providing optimal care to SPMI patients without life-limiting illness (79.6%) and considered palliative psychiatry as indicated for patients with SPMI (78.2%). By contrast, curing the illness was considered very important by only 39.8 % of respondents. Relative to psychiatrists in Switzerland, psychiatrists in India were significantly more concerned about preventing suicide and less willing to accept a reduction in life expectancy, even at the expense of quality of life in patients with severe and persistent schizophrenia and recurrent major depressive disorder. At the same time, they were significantly more likely to advocate palliative psychiatry. CONCLUSION Most of the participating psychiatrists in India agreed that palliative psychiatry can be indicated for patients with SPMI. The comparison with psychiatrists in Switzerland highlights the need to take account of cultural differences in future studies of this kind. In summary, this study shows the potential of palliative psychiatry as a genuine biopsychosocio-existential approach which systematically integrates biological, psychological, social, and existential factors of care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Stoll
- Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anju Mathew
- Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, India
| | - Chitra Venkateswaran
- Department of Psychiatry, Department of Palliative Medicine, Believers Church Medical College Hospital, Tiruvalla, India.,Mehac Foundation, Kochi, India
| | - Anil Prabhakaran
- Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, India
| | - Anna Lisa Westermair
- Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland.,Clinical Ethics Unit, University Hospital of Basel (USB) and University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Manuel Trachsel
- Institute of Biomedical Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland.,Clinical Ethics Unit, University Hospital of Basel (USB) and University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK), Basel, Switzerland
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