The anorexia talking
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Competence to Make Treatment Decisions in Anorexia Nervosa: Thinking Processes and Values
Tan, J. O. A., Stewart, A., Fitzpatrick, R. M., & Hope, R. A. (2006) · Philosophy, psychiatry & psychology · doi:10.1353/ppp.2007.0032 · Cited by 247 · see citing works
Self-citationCompulsory treatment in anorexia nervosa: A review
Elzakkers, I. F. F. M., Danner, U. N., Hoek, H. W., Schmidt, U. H., & Elburg, A. A. V. (2014) · International Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1002/eat.22330 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Anorexia and the MacCAT-T Test for Mental Competence: Validity, Value, and Emotion
Charland, L. C. (2006) · Philosophy, psychiatry & psychology · doi:10.1353/ppp.2007.0027 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
“Tan’s study suggests that sometimes it is perhaps best to say that it is not the authentic self in control here, but rather “the anorexia talking” (Tan 2003; see also Charland 2004).”
BackgroundMental Capacity, Decision-Making and Emotion Dysregulation in Severe Enduring Anorexia Nervosa
van Elburg, A., Danner, U. N., Sternheim, L. C., Lammers, M., & Elzakkers, I. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.545317 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Healthcare Decision Making and the Law: Autonomy, Capacity and the Limits of Liberalism
(2011) · International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance · doi:10.1108/ijhcqa.2011.06224eaa.015 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Competence in Mental Health Care: A Hermeneutic Perspective
Benaroyo, L., & Widdershoven, G. (2004) · Health Care Analysis · doi:10.1007/s10728-004-6637-8 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
“Some people are able to reason perfectly well, but one may doubt the practical rationality of their actions (see the examples of patients suffering from anorexia nervosa ( Tan, 2003 and Tan and Fegert in this issue)).”
BackgroundLavis, A. (2018) · Transcultural Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/1363461518785796 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
“It would be unethical to assume that desire for anorexia is either fully agential or just ‘the anorexia talking’ (Tan, 2003).”
BackgroundElzakkers, I. F. F. M., Danner, U. N., Grisso, T., Hoek, H. W., & van Elburg, A. A. (2018) · International Journal of Law and Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2018.02.001 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Authenticity and psychiatric disorder: does autonomy of personal preferences matter
Sjöstrand, M., & Juth, N. (2014) · Medicine Health Care and Philosophy · doi:10.1007/s11019-013-9509-x · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Competence in chronic mental illness: the relevance of practical wisdom
Widdershoven, G. A. M., Ruissen, A. M., van Balkom, A. J. L. M., & Meynen, G. (2016) · Journal of Medical Ethics · doi:10.1136/medethics-2014-102575 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Enhancing patient safety by integrating ethical dimensions to Critical Incident Reporting Systems
Wehkamp, K., Kuhn, E. M., Petzina, R., Buyx, A., & Rogge, A. (2021) · BMC Medical Ethics · doi:10.1186/s12910-021-00593-8 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Henderson, S. (2005) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1192/bjp.186.4.273 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
“In a recent exchange in The Lancet, Tan (2003) raised the question of whether people with anorexia nervosa are competent to make valid treatment decisions.”
BackgroundAssisted death in eating disorders: a systematic review of cases and clinical rationales
Roff, C., & Cook-Cottone, C. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1431771 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Vialettes, B., Samuelian-Massat, C., Valéro, R., et al. (2006) · Diabetes & Metabolism · doi:10.1016/s1262-3636(07)70284-7 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Sato, Y. (2003) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(03)14977-x · Cited by 15 · see citing works
The Boundaries of a Good Anorexic: Exploring Pro-Anorexia on the Internet and in the Clinic
Lavis, A. (2011) · Goldsmiths Research Online · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Fedyszyn, I. E., & Sullivan, G. B. (2007) · Australian Psychologist · doi:10.1080/00050060701326962 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“The issue has been extensively debated from the ethical, clinical and legal perspectives (Draper, 1998, 2000, 2003; Dresser, 1984; Fost, 1984; Gans & Gunn, 2003; Giordano, 2003a; Griffiths & Russell, 1998; Hébert & Weingarten, 1991; Kluge, 1991; MacDonald, 2002; Melamed, Mester, Margolin, & Kalian, 2003; Neiderman, Fa…”
Cultural and Ethical Issues in the Treatment of Eating Disorders in Singapore
Tan, J. O. A., Karim, S. A., Lee, H. Y., Goh, Y. L., & Lee, E. L. (2013) · Asian Bioethics Review · doi:10.1353/asb.2013.0003 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“These discussions were very similar to the discussions which have already taken place in developed countries (Giordano 2003; Tan 2003; Tan et al. 2003a; Tan and Fegert 2004; Tan et al. 2003b; Tan et al. 2003c; Dresser 1985; Vandereycken and Beumont 1998).”
ResultSelf-citationde Fockert, J. W., Rees, G. E., Frith, C., & Lavie, N. (2007) · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Passion and Decision-Making Capacity in Anorexia Nervosa
Charland, L. C. (2015) · AJOB Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/21507740.2015.1105879 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“Is it the person speaking, or the anorexia (Tan 2003)? Personal identity also appears to be compromised to different degrees in the anorectic progression (Tan et al.”
BackgroundCapacity: the gatekeeper for autonomy
Donnelly, M. (2010) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511760679.004 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Refusals of treatment in adolescents and young adults
Kelley, M. C. (2011) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511740336.006 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Case study: Treating eating disorders in the community
Coombs, A. (2011) · British Journal of School Nursing · doi:10.12968/bjsn.2011.6.6.284 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Explicating the complexity of self-illness ambiguity
Golova, A., & Dings, R. (2025) · Synthese · doi:10.1007/s11229-025-05244-8 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“20 For instance, Tan (2003, 1246) points out how some treatment refusals by clients with anorexia nervosa can prompt psychiatrists to ask: “Are such refusals the patient’s real wishes, or are they ‘the anorexia talking’?”. plausibly be said to affect the ability to make autonomous (treatment)…”
Percutaneous Feeding Tube Placement and Severe Anorexia Nervosa
Breier-Mackie, S. (2006) · Gastroenterology Nursing · doi:10.1097/00001610-200611000-00009 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Tan (2003) similarly contends that the illness creates a fear of weight gain, and a loss of control affects one’s mental capacity and ability to make valid autonomous decisions.”
BackgroundTan, J. O. A., Stewart, A., & Whitehead, L. (2007) · Clinical Psychology Forum · doi:10.53841/bpscpf.2007.1.172.51
Self-citationEthical issues related to restrictive practices for anorexia nervosa in young people
Yan, A., Yeo, M., Wilson, E., O’Neill, J., & Gillam, L. H. (2026) · Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1186/s40337-026-01715-6
“Indeed, clinicians possess a duty to protect when they are aware that their patients pose a risk of imminent danger towards themselves, or others due to the AN [22– 24].”
- Authors
- Tan, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Tan, Jacinta
- ORCID
- Tan, Jacinta
- Venue
- The Lancet
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2003-10
- Volume
- 362
- Issue
- 9391
- Pages
- 1246
- ISSN
- 0099-5355 (ISSN-L)
- 0140-6736
- OpenAlex
- W2070708439
- Cited by
- 27
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 2.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Lancet (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust (WT063792)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Healthcare Decision-Making and Restraints
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Ethics and bioethics in healthcare
- Keywords
- anorexia nervosa, treatment refusal, patient autonomy, medical paternalism, duty of care, psychiatric ethics, patient choice, eating disorders
- MeSH terms
- Anorexia Nervosa, Attitude to Health, Decision Making, Ethics, Medical, Female, Humans, Informed Consent, Male, Starvation, Treatment Refusal, Mental Competency
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
