Futility in adolescent anorexia nervosa and the question of withdrawal of care

Anorexia nervosa is a chronic disorder of children, adolescents and young people typically characterised by self-starvation and resistance to interventions. Staff dealing with these young people frequently question patient motivations and the ethics of interventions that may be applied against the wishes of patients. The question of withdrawal of care in a subgroup of these patients has been raised. Futility is not an appropriate response to adolescent anorexia nervosa, and treatment withdrawal is not appropriate for a disorder in which most patients can be expected to recover, in which opposition to treatment is a characteristic of the disorder and in which brain dysfunction is precipitated by severe malnutrition.