It took 4 days…
It took 4 days for this teenager to been seen by a psychiatrist.
Lauren Martin was admitted to the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald last Thursday and weighs just four stone.
I’m not going to go into the patriarchal contribution to anorexia. "The cause of anorexia nervosa is unknown." yeah right. Nothing to do with skinny models, Lads mags or the media then….
But that is another rant. This one is about delays in treatment, or incorrect treatment. Lauren Martin was admitted on a Friday, weighing just 4 stone and in need of asessment and treatment. Her family were asured someone would see her on Saturday morning. They didn’t. Then they were told the psychiatric team don’t work on weekends.
Huh? DON’T WORK ON WEEKENDS? Well, why the hell not? People don’t get sick on weekends? People don’t have psychotic episodes on weekends? Don’t get depressed on weekends?
Anyway, it took until Tuesday for her to be seen. Then because she is classed as an adult at 17 the doctors won’t intervene to make her eat or tube feed her.
Iris Robinson, the family’s MP said:
"Unfortunately Lauren is only one of many such young people," she said.
"One Friday three weeks ago I had three different families coming in with children who were presenting with anorexia - one young girl of 15 who had attempted suicide five times - suicide notes everything - really to try to take her life.
I know people locally here who have had problems accessing mental health services. It sucks. Mental illness is just that, an illness. With Anorexia, as with other eating disorders, the link here says quite clearly:
Anorexia nervosa is a potentially life-threatening illness, and should be treated as soon as possible. Sufferers should seek help, or be encouraged to do so.
Lauren and her family sought that help, they actively sought medical treatment. They were failed by the hospital.
I wish Lauren all the best and hope that she makes a full recovery. I’ll be looking out for news if it’s reported.
As someone who has suffered from an eating disorder I can say that the issue has less to do with lads mags and skinny models and more to do with empowerment and control. Whilst it is true that the anorexic looks to the models as some kind of role model, the real problem begins when one gets addicted to being in control over one’s body. I can look at models now and semi-wish for their figures but I have no will power to affect my body shape. When I had an eating disorder the problem lay with how suffocated I felt by the lack of options in my life and how powerful I felt when denying myself.
Its a good way to get attention too
Comment by Debbie — October 21, 2006 @ 10:34 am
Thanks for dropping by, good to see you here.
Comment by ethicallyspeaking — October 21, 2006 @ 10:56 am
don’t know what the law is like in ireland but in scotland she could receive compulsory treatment under the mental health act regardless of her age if her life was in danger. It would allow them to re-feed her and to keep her in hospital until she is well enough to be discharged
Comment by Helen — October 21, 2006 @ 10:11 pm
I think that may have been the problem - no-one from the Mental Health team was working the weekend so she couldn’t be seen or assessed.
Comment by ethicallyspeaking — October 21, 2006 @ 10:20 pm
it must be different there. Here there MHO’s who are on call at all times (its the law). They aren’t always doctors (some are Social Workers) but they have emergency detention powers.
Comment by Helen — October 22, 2006 @ 3:26 pm
I think it’s the same here, but this case was in Northern Ireland. Maybe it’s different there. Or maybe this was an exception to the rule. I don’t know.
Comment by ethicallyspeaking — October 22, 2006 @ 3:30 pm