Vancouver Island Voices for Eating Disorders - VIVED

Vancouver Island Voices for Eating Disorders - VIVED A developing collection of voices interested in eating disorder awareness and advocacy on Vancouver Island (and across B.C.)

“Fake” Voluntary: Discussing the Ambiguity of Threatened Involuntary Care for the Medical Treatment of Persons with Eati...
09/06/2026

“Fake” Voluntary: Discussing the Ambiguity of Threatened Involuntary Care for the Medical Treatment of Persons with Eating Disorders.

In a continuation from our previous post, today we are discussing “fake” voluntary (or threatened involuntary) care, which is not altogether uncommon for persons with eating disorders being treated in inpatient settings for medical complications related to their illness in BC.

What can occur for individuals in this situation is being placed under the threat of involuntary care should they not consent to medical interventions as a voluntary patient. However, this blatantly disrespects their rights as a “voluntary” patient (to be assessed for their capacity to consent or have access to a substitute decision maker) whilst denying them the rights of an involuntary patient (including access to a review panel, rights notification, and the independent rights advice service, etc.)

People with eating disorders pursuing treatment through BC healthcare settings deserve an updated approach to their care: one which centers collaboration, is truly trauma-informed (as defined by the person), and respects the four pillars of medical ethics (Beauchamp & Childress.)

It is all too common in this province for care to be based on the assumption that people with eating disorders will be deceitful, refuse care, attempt to leave against medical advice, and are incapable of working collaboratively with healthcare professionals.

Even when involuntary care may be required, people deserve to be given as much choice as possible and to work as collaboratively as possible with clinicians.

What is occurring in BC’s healthcare system to this day, should not be normalized or remain unquestioned.

Today we are exploring the question of whether the use of the BC Mental Health Act to involuntarily treat individuals wi...
08/30/2026

Today we are exploring the question of whether the use of the BC Mental Health Act to involuntarily treat individuals with eating disorders is legally justified and clearly defined.

In Part 2 of this two part series, we will discuss alternative arguments, counterpoints, as well as our conclusion and recommendations. Due to Instagram slide limit, we have not included our appendix, but it is available upon request and will be available as part of the blog post on our website.

Our Recommendations:
1. Recognition that there is no clear definition in the BC Mental Health Act regarding what ‘psychiatric treatment’ constitutes or how medical treatment can be provided to individuals experiencing medical consequences of eating disorders.
2. Legal clarification and justification as to why medical treatment for eating disorders is included in the BC Mental Health Act as a form of ‘psychiatric treatment.’
3. Justice for individuals with eating disorders who have been detained and medically treated without capacity assessments or access to a substitute decision maker, if it is determined that this was NOT justified under the BC Mental Health Act.

Today we are exploring the question of whether the use of the BC Mental Health Act to involuntarily treat individuals wi...
08/30/2026

Today we are exploring the question of whether the use of the BC Mental Health Act to involuntarily treat individuals with eating disorders is legally justified and clearly defined.

In Part 1 of this two part series, we will discuss the basics of the Mental Health Act and what is allowed under it, eating disorders in the context of the Mental Health Act, as well as determining capacity to consent in persons with with eating disorders.

At the heart of this discussion is the question of what is automatically accepted as the norm when it comes to involuntary care and eating disorders, as well as how we define ‘psychiatric treatment,’ which is the only form of treatment that the BC Mental Health Act can authorize.

This post is intended to be reflective and exploratory in nature, it is not intended to provide any statement around the morality of involuntary care for eating disorders and whether or not that should occur.

We will be discussing interventions for eating disorders that often occur in inpatient settings, as well as the topic of involuntary care. Numbers and specific details will be avoided unless it is relevant to a point being made. We encourage folks to read with caution if this is an area of conversation that feels activating.

We are not legal experts, but we feel strongly that the lack of clarity on this topic should be further explored.

When supporting someone living with and healing from an ED, it is important to balance the recognition of the depth of s...
08/22/2026

When supporting someone living with and healing from an ED, it is important to balance the recognition of the depth of struggle they face, whilst not reducing the person (in their entirety) to that struggle.

We can want more for people while recognizing that everything they are has always been enough.

July/August 2026 Monthly Reading Recommendation - Appendix & References
08/11/2026

July/August 2026 Monthly Reading Recommendation - Appendix & References

Our July/August reading recommendation is here, but it’s not an easy one, so here’s a tldr version.In this recent landma...
08/11/2026

Our July/August reading recommendation is here, but it’s not an easy one, so here’s a tldr version.

In this recent landmark decision, Justice Lauren Blake ruled in favour of the Canadian Council of Disabilities (CCD) in the “Deemed Consent” case held in BC’s Supreme Court. A judgement 10 years in the making.

What Does This Mean?

Justice Lauren Blake of BC’s Supreme Court found that the “deemed consent” provision of BC’s Mental Health Act does violate ss.7 & s.15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Specifically, the judge has made the following declaratory orders in this case:
a) The MHA, including s. 8(a), does NOT empower directors to authorize Forced Psychiatric Treatment;

b) ss. 2(b) and (c) of the Consent Act, and ss. 11(1)(b) and (c) of the RAA unjustifiably infringe ss. 7 and 15 of the Charter and are, to that extent, of NO force or effect.

These declarations are suspended for a period of six months to allow the Legislative Assembly to consider the legislative response to these reasons for judgment.

By suspending the declarations, individuals who are currently detained involuntarily will NOT automatically be released. However, it is not clear what the practical implications of this ruling will be once the suspension period is over.

Until this moment (and depending on the changes made), BC was the only province or territory to bypass any assessment of an involuntary patient’s capacity to consent to psychiatric treatment.

This is one small step forward in amending an archaic piece of legislation (BC’s Mental Health Act) with broad over-reaching powers and very little oversight. We are curious to see what follows (which will likely include a number of appeals and attempts by the BC(AG) to delay or alter the decision.)

We have included an Appendix and References in a separate post.

Unpacking Involuntary Care - A SeriesPart 3 - The FutureSection C. Abolitionist PerspectivesOur final post in the series...
07/21/2026

Unpacking Involuntary Care - A Series
Part 3 - The Future
Section C. Abolitionist Perspectives

Our final post in the series on “Unpacking Involuntary Care.”

“Abolition” refers to “the action or an act of abolishing a system, practice, or institution.*” In this case, abolitionist perspectives on involuntary care laws and practices (under the BC Mental Health Act) and/or psychiatric care provided through a Western colonial framework, call for the dismantling of this system.

It’s important to note that there is a spectrum of abolitionist views, and people can hold these views while still taking psychiatric medication or seeking psychiatric care.

Abolitionists recognize that the Mental Health Industrial
Complex (MIC) is not a “broken system;” rather it is a system that was specifically designed to function as it does, due to its fundamental basis in sanist, ableist, racist/White supremacist, sexist, and patriachal values.

You cannot reform a system built upon these structurally bigoted views: views that reflect
Western colonialism.

Abolitionist perspectives ask us to re-imagine care entirely; most of all by having the courage to do so while not entirely knowing what reimagined care might look like, but believing it’s possible similar to calling for de-funding of police.) These systems of oppression are fundamentally interconnected, and dismantling them reflects the process of decolonization.

In Summary:
We already have multiple robust suggestions for reforming the Mental Health Act in BC, with a strong evidence base for doing so. For the province to increasingly rely on policing and involuntary care without a transparent, collaborative, and robust reform process (at the very minimum to the BC Mental Health Act) is incredibly concerning and frankly, not good enough; people deserve better.

Unpacking Involuntary Care - A SeriesPart 3 - The FutureSection B. Expanding Voluntary ServicesVoluntary mental healthca...
07/18/2026

Unpacking Involuntary Care - A Series
Part 3 - The Future
Section B. Expanding Voluntary Services

Voluntary mental healthcare options in BC are extremely limited, plagued by long waitlists, and frequently inaccessible - especially for those with multiple intersecting identities and other factors reflecting the social determinants of health.

The over-reliance on involuntary care in BC is concerning as there is a “lack of evidence to support [the] effectiveness” of involuntary care alongside numerous and well-documented “potential harms and ethical concerns.”

In light of these factors, the focus on how we move forward in providing services for those experiencing mental illness and substance use challenges should be on expanding and improving voluntary options, as well as ensuring these services are accessible across the province.

As outlined in CMHA BC’s (CMHA BC) 2024 Advocacy Roadmap, when it comes to improving and expanding mental health services in this province (alongside reducing disparities), there is a critical need for BC to:
• Close the gap
• Raise the bar
• Respond with care

“One of the single most impactful things that government can do for prevention and early intervention is universalize access to publicly-funded and delivered mental health care, as it does physical health care.”

A number of policy recommendations already exist: outlined by CMHA BC, Health Justice BC, and other organizations on how (and why) we can and should shift towards more voluntarily services.

Unpacking Involuntary Care - A SeriesPart 3 - The FutureSection (A) Amending the BC Mental Health Act• Using 8 principle...
07/17/2026

Unpacking Involuntary Care - A Series

Part 3 - The Future

Section (A) Amending the BC Mental Health Act
• Using 8 principles outlined in “A Path Forward: Human Rights-Based Guiding Principles for BC’s Mental Health Law and Services” by Health Justice

In today’s post we explore Principles 7 & 8

Stay tuned for our next post covering Section B. “Investing in Voluntary Services.”

Unpacking Involuntary Care - A SeriesPart 3 - The FutureSection A: Amending the (BC) Mental Health ActPrinciples 4, 5, a...
07/16/2026

Unpacking Involuntary Care - A Series
Part 3 - The Future

Section A: Amending the (BC) Mental Health Act
Principles 4, 5, and 6

Stay tuned for Principles 7 & 8 as well as the rest of our discussion thread (Section B & C) on what next steps we can take to change the course of care under BC’s Mental Health Act.

These principles related to amending the Act are taken from Health Justice excellent report on the subject. We encourage folks to check out their work.

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