Court orders tube-feeding of anorexic, 22, to continue

A 22-year-old woman who suffers from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa is to be fed through a tube in hospital for another period, the president of the High Court decided yesterday after he was told she has gained weight.

The woman, who now weighs 37.9kg, may be able to go on a new weight maintenance programme once she reaches her 40kg target, the High Court heard yesterday.

Counsel for the HSE, Peter Finlay SC, said it was agreed the court order, first granted last January, that the woman be fed through a tube was a life-saving exercise. He said the multidisciplinary team looking after the woman planned, once she reached 40kg with a BMI of 15, to put a plan in place for weight maintenance and geared towards her stopping the programme. He said this would last eight to 10 weeks and he asked that the court assess the situation again in eight weeks time. Counsel asked that the feeding order stay in place for the moment.

Counsel for the woman, Michael Ramsey, said there was no doubt the progress made had been excellent and the woman believes the court order and the work of the multidisciplinary team had saved her life. However, he said she felt voiceless at each court hearing to assess her progress and wanted the court to consider allowing her go onto the weight maintenance programme and suspend the court feeding order for a period of seven days to allow her do that.

Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns called the consultant psychiatrist treating the woman to the stand and asked her opinion as to whether the girl was ready for the maintenance programme. The psychiatrist said in the last few weeks the woman has become distressed by her weight gain at times and her blood pressure and glucose levels were not yet stable. Her body, she said, was not ready for the programme and it was too early to consider it.

Prior to the granting of the court order she said the woman did not believe she was going to die, but she has now learned the feeding process is essential to live.

Mr Justice Kearns said he would continue the order and will review the case on May 9 next.