Ethical tensions in the treatment of youth with severe anorexia nervosa

Treatment of anorexia nervosa poses a moral quandary for clinicians, particularly in paediatrics. The challenges of appropriately individualising treatment while balancing prospective benefits against concomitant harms are best highlighted through exploration and discussion of the ethical issues. The purpose of this Viewpoint is to explore the ethical tensions in treating young patients (around ages 10–18 years) with severe anorexia nervosa who are not capable of making treatment-based decisions and describe how harm reduction can reasonably be applied. We propose the term AN-PLUS to refer to the subset of patients with a particularly concerning clinical presentation—poor quality of life, lack of treatment response, medically severe and unstable, and severe symptomatology—who might benefit from a harm reduction approach. From ethics literature, qualitative studies, and our clinical experience, we identify three core ethical themes in making treatment decisions for young people with AN-PLUS: capacity and autonomy, best interests, and person-centred care. Finally, we consider how a harm reduction approach can provide direction for developing a personalised treatment plan that retains a focus on best interests while attempting to mitigate the harms of involuntary treatment. We conclude with recommendations to operationalise a harm reduction approach in young people with AN-PLUS.