Evaluation of the History of Anorexia Nervosa from a Psychoanalytic Perspective

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa, which has found its place in history from ancient times to the present, has caused various debates about its pathology and etiology, and its etiology and definition have evolved over the years. This evolution has also manifested in the psychoanalytic approach and affected mainstream psychiatry at certain times. In this study, the evolution of anorexia nervosa from ancient times to the present was discussed in the context of the psychoanalytic framework and Lacan's theory. Lacan's views on anorexia nervosa have changed in parallel with the development of his theory, and Lacan evaluated anorexia nervosa in the context of the subject's relationship with the Big Other. While this association was interpreted as trying to make up for the deficiency in the symbolic through the real in the context of the concepts of rejection of the anorexic subject and "eating nothingness," it was discussed with regard to rejection of castration and the continuation of jouissance in the later texts of Lacan. This transformation caused debates as to whether anorexia nervosa is an unconscious message with meaning and function, or is a sinthome devoid of meaning, where the body speaks instead of the unconscious. In this study, Lacan's texts were discussed chronologically, and his perspective on anorexia nervosa were inspected within the framework of these questions.