[Adolescent and child anorexia: various possible common elements]

Based on their clinical experience, the authors investigate the possible links between early-age anorexia and adolescent anorexia. Although it is not common to find these two types of anorexia in the same person, the occurrence is found indeed. More often, anorexia at an early age has been described as occurring in offsprings of mothers who themselves had presented anorectic behaviors, either at an early age or in adolescence. The authors question the possible role of the psychopathology of mourning in the genesis of anorectic symptoms. They then proceed to some more general considerations on object relations observed in these cases. They suggest that a lack of integration of a satisfactory object relation may breed disturbances in relations and in symbolization of the type frequently observed in the semiology of early age or adolescent anorexia.