Posted: Jan 16, 2012 8:59 pm
Median wrote:Also, despite what you guys are saying, those who are morbidly obese will probably eventually get to the point of having an emergency. Whether it is someone who has a heart attack or needs a heart transplant, or a diabetic who is unconscious, etc. If those who have emergencies from being too skinny have to receive physical and mental treatment, then if you're consistent, the same should apply to those who are morbidly obese.
Just as it happens, my father-in-law is obese, diabetic and has had heart surgery. The thing is, he's lived like that for the past twenty years since he retired. Sure, it's not an ideal state of affairs health-wise but, despite all the medical complications associated with it, he's not even close to being at the same risk as the sort of anorexic who would get sectioned, and that's pretty much the point I'm trying to make.
Now, that's one person and that doesn't constitute a study, but I'd be surprised if there are that many morbidly obese people who are genuinely at the same level of risk as anorexics whose condition is severe enough to be sectioned. Of course, those who are should be given appropriate medical treatment psychiatric or otherwise, but I maintain that the argument as first stated is flawed.