SUMMARY :
The young anorexic presents difficulties to interpersonal relationships, as
issues of control and rejection of the mature feminine role cause patients to
withdraw from social and romantic contact.
The refusal, resistance, and denial that patients exhibit when confronted with
the process of maturation toward adulthood will deepen their emotional isolation
and would distance them from their significant ones. Before patients become
detached beyond help, our therapeutic goal is to help them remain close to people
who are emotionally meaningful to them.
Two case reports will follow.