How do i get my sister hospitalized for anorexia? she is 5'4" and weighs 80 pounds, nothing but skin and bones. she has no regular doctor, only visits clinics for depression and to get pain medication. she is 54 and on ssr and medicaid.

I : I am a pediatric eating disorder specialist and although we only treat patients to age 21 or so at the kartini clinic in portland oregon, we do sometimes have to deal with the patient who cannot/will not accept help despite life-threatening complications. Your family will need to hire a lawyer in your state who is familiar with medical guardianship procedures which would allow you to have treatment mandated. Then a family member will need to assume responsibility for your seriously ill sister. No doctor will be able to assume this responsibility, it will be entirely up to the family. The brain condition that is part of anorexia nervosa which prevents your sister from seeing how ill she is, is called anosognosia. Please google this and you will see that this can be a feature of many brain disorders, including some strokes. Anosognosia is what makes the management of people with anorexia so challenging. But there is hope. There is also a forum for family members on the web you may wish to consult called "around the dinner table" at http://www.Aroundthedinnertable.Org/ they may prove a life-saving resource for your family and, ultimately, your sister.

See below: The doc can intervene on her next clinic visit. You can directly be involved in her care only if the patient consents.