The therapeutic relationship is of utmost importance in the treatment of eating disorders, at all levels. An alliance based on honesty and trust must be established. The Eating Disorders Association objects to the use of restrictive operant behaviour modification programmes for the treatment of Anorexia Nervosa in the starvation stage, except in exceptional circumstances in which there is good reason to believe that it might work where other methods have failed. This type of programme seriously infringes on the human rights and dignity of the person in the programme. Their personal property is removed, they are not allowed to wear their own clothes, to engage in any activity they enjoy, to have contact with anyone significant to them, even to use a toilet.
Deprivation of liberty is a serious matter.
If this type of programme was necessary, it could be accepted, but it has been known in some settings for over 20 years that it is usually not necessary. Informed practitioners have not been using this type of programme as a preferred treatment for over 10 years, even in Queensland. The rest of the programme is inhumane and unnecessary. Those who still use it as a first line, standard treatment are not using informed practice. The use of restrictive behaviour modification to treat people in the starvation stages of Anorexia Nervosa goes against a basic principle of behaviour modification theory - it doesn't work on people who have an altered mental state or psychotic state of mind.