The variable manifestations and contextual meanings of anorexia nervosa: two case illustrations from Hong Kong

This paper discusses two Chinese anorexic patients with contrasting clinical presentations. Notwithstanding their difference with respect to the presence of the intense fear of becoming fat, their food refusal might arise from a similar sense of powerlessness which exaggerated rigid self-control and hampered self-definition at a critical phase of personal development. In order that early recognition and meaningful treatment may be facilitated, more attention to the variable manifestations and situated meanings of anorexia nervosa in different cultures is emphasized.