Anorexia Nervosa and Nosological Instability: Integrative Biopsychosocial Approaches in the Age of Media Hegemony

Since it first appeared in the legal sphere in 1992, the condition of Anorexia
Nervosa (AN) has faced considerable nosological turbulence, proving
troublesome for medical practitioners and judicial figures alike. This has
been somewhat compounded by the 'conflict of governance' between the
Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Mental Health Act (MHA), which both
pertain to interrelated clinical populations. AN treatment can be sanctioned
under both pieces of legislation notwithstanding their competing aims of
empowerment on one side, and compelled care on the other. Resultantly,
it is apparent that the law can make an anorexic eat, but whether or not it
should and how this is authorized will be the focus of this research.
The recent discovery of AN's genetic underpinnings will provide a basis
from which to suggest that MCA application is most suitable in the context
of AN, with aberrations in the brain circuitry of anorexics rooting the
condition in the sphere of biology. It is therefore arguable that the law
should reflect this to provide greater consistency and Parity of Esteem.
Additionally, the utility of upstream intervention at the level of media
regulation will be investigated, in light of the detrimental effects of the
'Empire of Images'. Disrupting this media hegemony will therefore limit the
sociocultural facets of the condition and may prevent downstream
instances of AN. Resultantly, through a multifaceted approach to legislative
intervention it is hoped that this will more aptly account for the multifarious
reality of AN and benefit all who suffer from it.