WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- A groundbreaking study published today in
Frontiers in Psychiatry reveals that over sixty individuals
with eating disorders have undergone assisted death in Belgium, the
Netherlands, and the United
States. Notably, some of the cases occurred in countries
where assisted death is legally restricted to terminal conditions,
exposing significant oversight gaps and raising urgent ethical
questions about current policies.
"This finding is deeply concerning and will send shockwaves
through our community," said Chelsea
Roff, Executive Director of the nonprofit Eat Breathe Thrive
and lead author of the study. "We have concerns they may only be
the tip of the iceberg. We found significant gaps in reporting,
suggesting the actual number of cases may be much higher."
KEY FINDINGS:
- Over 60 patients with eating disorders underwent assisted death
between 2012 and 2024, including in countries which restrict the
practice to terminal conditions.
- In the United States, patients
with eating disorders were granted access to lethal medications
based on the controversial pseudo diagnosis of "terminal
anorexia."
- In other countries, physicians stated that eating disorder
patients were eligible for assisted suicide because their condition
was "hopeless" and "untreatable."
- One-third of the patients were under the age of thirty when
they underwent assisted death.
The study comes at a critical time, as eating disorders surge
and many patients struggle to access treatment. Residential and
inpatient treatment can cost more than $2,000/day, and few private treatment centers
accept public insurance. In some cases, these patients must wait
over a year to get access to the treatment they need.
The researchers found that in many cases, physicians erroneously
claimed the patients had terminal and incurable conditions in order
to grant access to lethal medications. "These rationales lack an
empirical basis and perpetuate stigma," said Catherine Cook-Cottone, study author and
researcher at University at Buffalo.
"The idea that patients with eating disorders are untreatable,
treatment-resistant, or unable to recover has no place in
medicine."
The study underscores the urgent need for more comprehensive
reporting and stringent oversight in cases of assisted death
involving psychiatric conditions. For more information, the full
article can be accessed here.
A joint statement from over 100 leading experts and
organizations against the practice of assisted suicide has been
issued in response to the study and can be found here.
Press Contact:
Bianca Ngala
bngala@apcoworldwide.com
+1 202-543-0308
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SOURCE Eat Breathe Thrive