Here we consider how "obstinacy" in mental anorexia reflects elements that are fundamental for an understanding of this pathology. In anorexia, refusal serves as an active reaction against intrusion by another. Denial can be understood in two ways: as a means of sustaining one's desire, or as a way to extinguish desire. But these two paths need not be seen as contradictory - they can be seen as fertile aporias. The theme of "obstinacy" is thus very important in clinical psychoanalysis, and allows an analysis of denial as a possible form of a patient's relationship with desire.
Anorexia; refusal; desire; denial