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Should Mental Health And Associated Health Professionals Be Legal?

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Eating Disorder Treatment
The topic of which I would like to further discuss in my paper is that of eating disorders. The question I would like to explore is: Should mental health and associated health professionals be allowed to remove a patient’s autonomy and control their diet as intervention for an eating disorder? I think that this is a very debatable topic because both sides are equally important to the patient. It is important that the patient be able to make their own decisions but it is equally important that the patient be safe and their health protected. Both sides are also equally harmful if not considered for the patient. Is it ethical to control a patient’s diet in treatment of an eating disorder? Proponents answer yes, …show more content…

Clarify Concepts
The major eating disorders include anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. There are also many other eating disorders that are not always specified for people that do not fall into the other categories. When treating these illnesses along with any other, medical staff work to protect a patient’s autonomy which is their right to make decisions about their own care. The problem is that eating disorders are one of the hardest conditions to treat (Treasure, 2015). It has also been shown that over half of all cases develop into severe illness for the patient and profoundly impact their physical and mental health (Treasure, 2015).
Identify Possible Solutions to the Problem There are several possible solutions. Medical staff could take dietary choices away from the patient and control their diet in order to help them recover from their eating disorder. Another option is for medical staff to counsel the patient on dietary decisions but allow the patient to remain in control of their choices. Yet another option may be a compromise between the two, to control the diet of the patient while still allowing them to make decisions.
Gather Information
Professionals are trying to decide the best ways to treat eating disorders. A major complication in the proposed treatment plan is ethics. A potential solution may be to take control away from the patient but,

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