Anorexic woman may be force fed for further 2 weeks

A young woman who suffers from severe anorexia nervosa may be force fed if necessary for a further two weeks, the president of the High Court has decided.

Tim O’Leary, counsel for the HSE, told Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns that the HSE, the woman herself and her family had agreed to the extension of mandatory court orders made three months ago.

In May the court heard the woman, a student in her 20s who suffered from eating disorders since she was 12, weighed just over 30kg (4 stone 10lb). There had been serious concerns about her physical and mental health. Mr Justice Kearns had been told the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was detained involuntarily in hospital since April under the provisions of the Mental Treatment Acts after her weight dropped as low as 24kg, three-and-a-half stone.