I just finished drawing my first patient in my "disease of the soul" series which delves into the victorian idea that mental illness was an affliction rooted deep within the soul. The first shows symptoms of nervous anorexia and depression. The former contains within it a skewed image of the patients figure, causing them to have an overactive fear of becoming obese.
To quote the good people at answers.com, it is a "psychophysiological disorder usually occurring in young women that is characterized by an abnormal fear of becoming obese, a distorted self-image, a persistent unwillingness to eat, and severe weight loss. It is often accompanied by self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, malnutrition, amenorrhea, and other physiological changes."
Its only fitting with the concept of self-loathing that I should already start to hate this painting a little bit.
C'est la vie.
~Elise
