Analysis of a case study on a 25-year-old woman suffering from melancholic depression and eating disorders, exploring similarities and differences with typical melancholic depression.
Extract
[...] Thus, since bulimia represents a state of pulsion, the intense sexual impulse felt by the subject can make sense in this case. In addition, the subject does not seem to have a 'normal' sexuality, in that she boasts of her romantic exploits and the chain of romantic adventures. When she got married with a 'normal' sexuality, it ended in divorce. Thus, the subject's sexuality also seems to be a sexuality linked to the need to please the largest number, a sign of a narcissistic flaw in the subject. [...]
[...] Melancholic depression occurs in waves, which are often followed by manic episodes, as episodes of melancholic depression are often indicative of bipolar disorder. Manic episodes can be more or less pronounced, and in this case, one can detect, during her periods of fasting in which she eats almost nothing, a sort of manic behavior, as she works a lot and eats almost nothing, but feels happy, as if in those moments she had a form of control over herself, a control she totally loses during melancholic episodes. [...]
[...] The bulimic crises are so powerful, such strong impulses that it is impossible for the subject to resist them. She even seems to boast about it by showing her small rounded belly from eating so much, as if it didn't affect her, when in fact she is only sinking into a melancholic psychological state. IV. Conclusion The subject appears to be suffering from melancholic depression associated with bulimic-anorexic eating disorders since adolescence. The subject has not built its narcissistic foundations correctly, leading it to a weak narcissism that pushes it to please and chain conquests. [...]
[...] The subject appears to be clearly suffering from a lack of narcissism, the other facet being an excess of narcissism, but both revealing a lack of solidity in the construction of self-love. When the subject boasts of their romantic exploits, one can see the manifestation of doubts regarding their self-image and the need to be reassured by the gaze of others. In addition, young adolescent girls with bulimia or anorexia can reach a stage of melancholy, which seems to be the case of the subject studied. [...]
[...] As soon as she feels rejected by the other, she sinks into violent bulimic crises, associated with a lamentable psychological state in which she no longer wants anything, except for sexual impulses, followed by periods of intense fasting. V. [...]
