This paper explores the legitimacy of invoking civil commitment proceedings for anorexic patients, considers actual practices in this regard, & suggests guidelines that might be followed when the question of commitment is raised. Two case presentations are used as illustration. The first is of a 29-year-old woman with a long history of anorexia nervosa & bulimia, as well as alcohol & drug abuse, depression, & several near-fatal suicide attempts. The second case is of a woman in her early 30s who had also made a number of near-fatal suicide attempts. (22 refs.)