The patient (unnamed) is described as being a "severely anorexic" 32 year old woman who has had a BMI "between 11 and 12 for the past two years." She was being allowed to die in an end to life care pathway however the judge ruled she should be force fed.
The patient history includes record of serious sexual abuse between the ages of 4-11, unknown to the parents. She told doctors being force fed was like "reliving the abuse."
The judge believed she lacked the capacity to refuse treatment. Her fear of weight gain made her "incapable of weighing the advantages and disadvantages of eating in any meaningful way" and she was in a "drug haze" caused by heavy sedation.
If a person is deemed to lack capacity, as in this instance, the court has to decide what course of action is in his/her best interest.
The patient "did not seek death but above all did not want to be fed" however granting her wishes would ultimately lead to death.
The judge is said to have based their decision on the basis that resources would be provided "in the short, medium and long term" during the treatment and the fact that the patient's views may change in the future as well as the capacity factor.
Despite the judgement an eating disorder specialist put the prognosis of recovery at "10% to 20%"
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