ANOREXIA-NERVOSA AND DEPRESSION IN A WOMAN BLIND SINCE THE AGE OF 9 MONTHS

A woman aged 58 who has been blind since the age of nine months presen ted with major depression and a 40 year history of an eating disorder characterized by a restriction of food intake and body disparagement. The case is additional evidence that a specifically visual body image is not essential for the development of anorexia nervosa and supports the view that the concept of body image is unnecessary and unproductiv e in eating disorders. Greater emphasis should be placed on attitudes and feelings toward the body, and the possibility of an eating disorde r should be considered in cases of older women with an atypical presen tation.