tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011660132120465673.post6105731432572866652..comments2023-09-08T19:32:19.540+01:00Comments on Charlotte - Chatting and Chuntering: Right to life.CHARLOTTE'S RANThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15924653828316135774noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011660132120465673.post-74507527522908557192012-07-18T06:13:10.615+01:002012-07-18T06:13:10.615+01:00I agree completely with your sentiment, but think ...I agree completely with your sentiment, but think that this argument is a bit flawed. I know the most about Ontario, so I will stick the commenting about what's done here, but I think it translates to many other places. Here, it is very, very common for people with schizophrenia or depression to remain untreated as well. A patient can only be treated against their will if they are considered a significant danger to themselves or others AND are incapable of understanding and appreciating treatment choices, or, alternatively, if they have previously been treated with some success and are at risk of severe deterioration without treatment, and are incapable. <br /><br />It seems like these are quite loaded issues tied into abuses of psychiatric patients in the past by institutions, as well as the philosophical direction of our age with its emphasis on autonomy and individual rights. With anorexia, I think perhaps the biggest issue is that patients are often deemed capable when they are not, because clinicians often emphasize the understanding portion of capacity and neglect appreciation. Many anorexics can clearly explain the consequences of anorexia but do not really believe that they will experience them personally, or are emotionally too frightened to exercise capacity (Dr. Charland in London has argued that emotional issues should be included in the determination of capacity). But legally, if a patient is deemed incapable and was at risk of significant physical harm, or if the patient has previously been successfully treated, a patient with anorexia can just as easily be treated against their will as anyone with any mental illness. And like any mental illness, legally you do have to wait until the risk of lasting harm is present before you can take away someone's liberty for mental health reasons, even if their decision-making is impaired.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011660132120465673.post-36860861790977705882012-07-16T00:53:33.169+01:002012-07-16T00:53:33.169+01:00Maybe I'm wrong, because I don't follow th...Maybe I'm wrong, because I don't follow this too much, but wasn't a draft of the DSM-5 open for public comments? Not sure how that works, though. <br /><br />It is sad and ridiculously stupid. I am not sure what the laws are in Canada, or Ontario, specifically. What infuriates me more is that it is not "low enough" by what metric? Not a scientific metric, some idiotic statistics taken many years ago of rich (most white) people who could afford life insurance in the US? What?! OK, I know, I know, it is slightly more complex, sure, but that's pretty much it, I feel, when you get down to the bottom of it. <br /><br />It is infuriating that weight matters so much. No one would be able to guess how well or how badly I'm doing by my weight, at all. My best periods have been at weights that have also coincided with some of my worst periods years earlier. It is impossible to tell by looking at me (because I cycle between AN, AN-BP and BN, and BED for brief periods). <br /><br />I think the more people write, talk, complain about it. The more people stress mental health education in medical schools, and the more research comes out about eating disorders, particularly the medical complications, case studies, etc.. the more the medical community will start to pay attention. But, like with anything, it will take a while. Homosexuality was listed as an illness until 1974, gender nonconformity is still called "gender identity disorder." <br /><br />Change is slow, and unfortunately, a lot of people suffer in the meantime. <br /><br />I think the medical profession, in general (of course, not every doctor, but to generalize), suffers from the same problem as the lay public. In my experience, when I talk to people about my ED and EDs in general, they seem to be shocked at the severity of the mental and physical symptoms. Most people don't realize the intensity and life-consuming nature of it. They don't realize how severe restricting, binging and purging can get, and how severely disabling the psychological symptoms can be. <br /><br />It just drives me nuts that it is so tied into dieting and body image. I think that doesn't do ED sufferers any favors, because it almost lightens it. Oh, just vanity. She'll eat once she gets too hungry, or some stupid crap like that. My ED didn't start from dieting and I never felt "fat" or wanted to lose weight until I was deep in the anorexic mindset.Tetyanahttp://www.scienceofeds.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011660132120465673.post-12087318109322614072012-07-12T13:39:48.375+01:002012-07-12T13:39:48.375+01:00It is the same in Greece they will take our daught...It is the same in Greece they will take our daughter in even after being as low as 32 kilos or just not eating for 6 months BUT for a terrorist not eating for 15 days they are dealt with and put into hospital.But we are turn away and told no problem because the blood tests are good.... Here we are on our own. Unless you pay therapists.Even then its only hourly....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011660132120465673.post-86633576841936495752012-07-10T23:56:52.007+01:002012-07-10T23:56:52.007+01:00How about a letter-writing campaign? Asking someo...How about a letter-writing campaign? Asking someone within the medical profession where this woman's daughter lives to step in? Something? We cannot sit by.Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05504607389215948127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011660132120465673.post-11511292408755216372012-07-10T13:52:57.964+01:002012-07-10T13:52:57.964+01:00Good post Charlotte. I am so saddened by Emily...Good post Charlotte. I am so saddened by Emily's death, as I am also facing that possibility with my own daughter. I too am so infuriated with the 'system' that doesn't see ED's as serious as they really are. I have to wait until my daughter gets so thin and so sick before treatment is 'approved' by the insurance! I think we need a place like St. Jude's for ED's!Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10600918463539909747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011660132120465673.post-17144071635518448762012-07-10T13:34:26.888+01:002012-07-10T13:34:26.888+01:00We COULD solve some of this if the ED advocacy wor...We COULD solve some of this if the ED advocacy world would come together on it, at least. It infuriates me that we can't. I feel as if this is the central issue I've beaten at for 10 years now and I'm not sure we're that much closer on it. Just suggesting that the eating part is important causes people to back into corners refuse to talk. <br /><br />This is the most basic thing, and we HAVE the evidence, but I still don't see consensus or the courage out there to get agreement on it within the field - without which we can never expect the public, the press, our governments, or health providers to understand it.<br /><br />I recently had the horrifying thought that I'm going to retire from the field and it still will be years until we achieve this. I think of the next generation of patients who don't get their "right to life" for the lack of one simple principle: food is medicine, not optional.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17219492984914810944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011660132120465673.post-23594276862330158702012-07-10T10:55:06.482+01:002012-07-10T10:55:06.482+01:00what ELT said - all of it.
Treatment for addictio...what ELT said - all of it.<br /><br />Treatment for addictions is similar, as the Fairy Blogmother has noted http://www.laurassoapbox.net/2012/07/worse-than-scandal.htmlFiona Marcellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07985022521354870620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011660132120465673.post-87965020038322059482012-07-10T09:07:55.459+01:002012-07-10T09:07:55.459+01:00Your post saddens me, Charlotte, yet it is a brill...Your post saddens me, Charlotte, yet it is a brilliant post - in that you examine what happens in other psychiatric disorders and make comparisons with EDs.<br /><br />There are many reasons why EDs are not taken seriously enough, misunderstood and badly treated. I do think that one reason is that EDs are seen as a 'chosen' response to living in our culture. The fact that AN, at least, is egosyntonic is unhelpful, because the other illnesses you make comparisons with are egodystonic. The person with AN behaves in a stubborn manner and appears to value their illness. This makes consenting to treatment very difficult. <br /><br />As someone who had a long history of AN I would argue that AN is not really egosyntonic, but that the sufferer is: (a) very frightened of intervention because this will increase their anxiety to levels of panic - and - (b) the have a poor sense of identity, poor interoceptive awareness and alexithymia; all of which make it very hard to makes sense of what is happening to them and to express this clearly. People with An just tend to say things like "I'm frightened of getting fat"; but I think that's due to alexithymia.<br /><br />On another note, I am sorry that you're suffering in this hot and humid weather :( I think you are very brave.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com