This essay discusses an atypical case of anorexia nervosa from the vantage point of cultural psychiatry. The discussion presents a hermeneutic analysis of the illness narrative of a patient, a young woman of semi-rural background, and her family circle, in particular her mother, with the aim to single out the patient's treatment difficulties and poor outcome. Furthermore, the essay deals with all non clinical treatment methods that have been used to confront the disorder, amongst which we find ritual healing and exorcism. The final aim is to illustrate how certain themes and cultural representations pose a serious challenge to clinical psychiatry.