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Updated: Jul 22, 2026

A Treatment Package without Escape Extinction to Address Food Selectivity
Published on: August 21, 2015
Aspects of food refusal in the elderly: the "hunger strike"
1Division of Geriatric Medicine, Neurodegeneration Research Group (NRG), St. George's Hospital Medical School, London, United Kingdom.
Objective:
To present food refusal in old age as a means of attempting to control the outcome of intergenerational family conflicts.
Method:
Two cases are described.
Results:
Food refusal does not necessarily arise in the context of a classical eating disorder but may represent a form of protest, or hunger strike.
Discussion:
Food refusal is seen as distinct from a pure anorectic pattern of behavior. It may be a separate psychobehavioral entity in old age. Behavioral methods may help to encourage a resolution by setting clear limits and encouraging patients to share responsibility in decision making.
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