Can a Therapist Force Someone to Go to a Mental Hospital for an Eating Disorder?

From personal experience, a therapist cannot force you to go to a mental hospital for an eating disorder. If the eating disorder is life-threatening or severe, the therapist may report it legally. My therapist advised me to get checked out by a doctor and referred me to Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) or residential treatment for eating disorders.

Eating Disorders as a Mental Illness

Eating disorders are forms of mental illness and can pose a significant threat to a person's life. If a patient is a danger to themselves or others, they can be scheduled under the Mental Health Act by a doctor. This scheduling process can be carried out by a doctor, and when necessary, the police can intervene to arrange the patient's transfer to a mental health facility for assessment and treatment.

The Role of the Mental Health Act

Mental health teams typically perform this role, but any doctor can use the power to schedule a patient with the help of the police. Psychiatrists and nurses may also make a house call for this purpose. When the Mental Health Act is invoked, the patient is arrested, placed in a police van, and taken to a mental health facility. A schedule is written out for the admitting nurse and doctor, and the patient can be held for a week to ten days for observation and treatment.

Forceful Interventions

The period a patient is held varies slightly from state to state, but generally, the purpose is to address the immediate threat to the patient's life. After this period, the patient must be released. If the doctor believes the patient is still a danger to themselves or others, they must make a submission to a magistrate to hold the patient longer. In the case of severe anorexia, a week may be insufficient for treatment, and a longer period may be necessary to alter the patient's eating habits.

Voluntary Inpatient Stay

What often happens is that a person initially held on a mental health schedule against their will may offer to become a voluntary patient after a week in the hospital, when they are convinced they need care and treatment. This process can be extremely frightening, and there is a tendency to avoid scheduling a person until the last minute. Unfortunately, this often leads to many patients dying or causing harm to others, including treatment teams and emergency personnel.

Conclusion

While therapists cannot force someone to go to a mental hospital, they can report severe cases and help facilitate the necessary interventions under the Mental Health Act. Understanding the process and the role of the Mental Health Act can help patients and their families make informed decisions about treatment.

Keywords: therapist, mental hospital, eating disorder