Parents Take Daughter to Court to Make Her Eat

The parents of an anorectic 16-year-old British schoolgirl resorted to drastic action to persuade their daughter to eat after all other approaches had failed. David and Linda Carter, both 46, obtained a court order for their daughter Vicki to be hospitalized and force-fed.

Vicki had adopted a starvation diet that propelled her weight down to 70 lb (her healthy normal weight was 119 lb); her waist was measured at 15.5 in. The family had watched the teen change from a gentle, popular teenager who was an excellent student to a depressed, moody, and withdrawn young woman. After a bout with glandular fever, Vicki became obsessed with her weight. She was crafty in her efforts to hide her starvation, resorting to baggy clothing and obsessive workouts to aerobics videos, often at 6 am, before the rest of the family got up.

The family decides to act

The parents decided to take legal action when doctors failed in an attempt to use enteral feeding to help restore her weight. Vicki had initially agreed to force-feeding, but had repeatedly disconnected the nasogastric tube. She also refused all other treatment and attempted to leave the hospital.

The teen decided to fight the court order, and lawyers were appointed to defend her on the grounds that it was her right to refuse food if she chose. When a judge found in favor of the parents, Vicki agreed to start eating. She is now taking food voluntarily. She and her family agreed that they would publicize the case to help others avoid the downward spiral of anorexia nervosa.

Vicki now weighs 85 lb and is slowly regaining weight. She is studying psychology at the clinic while she recovers. Her father said, “Vicki had a solicitor appointed for her and she said, ‘I am going to fight you.’ But her mental state at that time was terrible.” He added, “It was an unpleasant thing to do to have to fight in the court to get your daughter to stay alive, but we did it and she is recovering now. We have no regrets about taking Vicki to court. Without legal action, she would have died.”

Our thanks to Dr. Walter Vandereycken for this news story.