Starved for Assistance: Coercion finds a place in the treatment of two eating disorders

Many people with serious eating disorders seek mental-health care only after they are pressured into it by concerned clinicians, family, friends, and employers. Although these cases make psychiatrists uncomfortable, a new study suggests that coercion plays a valuable role in jump-starting participation in the treatment of eating disorders.

A team of psychiatrists studied people with eating disorders who had denied a need for treatment when they were admitted to a hospital clinic.