Anorexia Nervosa - Tamara Bennett

In “Anorexia Nervosa and its Differential Diagnosis” Hilde Bruch argues that the pursuit of thinness is the main problem within the classical anorexia nervosa syndrome, which in turn is what takes anorexia nervosa away from association with the other psychiatric conditions of weight loss. She is also says in relation to this, how there is confusion with the diagnosis of the symptoms of the disorder. Some believe that the person is preoccupied with the eating function itself and “its distorted symbolic meaning” and the fact of being thin just happens because of it. In order to argue and prove her point, Bruch reports on a study she does to see if she is right in arguing that this is the main symptom and definition of anorexia nervosa.

The study consisted of forty-three patients; a large majority of them were female. Thirty-seven female and only six were males. The study was done between 1942 and 1964 and the four main patients were between the ages 14 to 32. In the end, the studies and finding were based on what was learned from re-reading and changing psychoanalytic therapy. They made not that “giving insight to patients through motivational interpretations of “unconscious” processes was not only useless but reinforced a basic defect in their personality structure”. When they changed to a more factual approach the study soared strong. And they were able to determine that what Bruch had determine was shown true when the patients were able to show that those thoughts had originated in themselves.