Anorexia nervosa: an Indian perspective

Anorexia nervosa is a condition thought to be associated with the western culture. However, the recent publication of a case series from Asia suggests that it is a syndrome related to a changing culture. We present a detailed clinical form of this syndrome based on descriptive analysis of 2 cases of anorexia nervosa. Both these patients were adolescent, school-going girls from middle socioeconomic class of urban background. They were pre-morbidly non-obese and did not have any pressures to pursue slimness for beauty. However, there was an identifiable psychosocial stressor as a precipitant in both of them. Both the patients had symptoms of refusal to eat followed by weight loss. We could not identify any risk factor in our patients for anorexia nervosa. Our report illustrates the differences in developmental and psychodynamic issues related to the development of anorexia nervosa, though the clinical symptoms may be similar.