New websites have been popping up in recent years that encourage diseases like anorexia and bulimia. Parents need to add these to the list of things to keep an eye on their children for when they are using the internet.

The Statistics of Anorexia

An estimated 1 to 3 % of all women will become anorexic sometime in their lives, and 5 to 10 % of those with the disease will lose their lives to it. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.

Anorexic Websites

So it is frustrating to many that there are so many “pro-ana” sites, or websites that actually encourage the eating disorder. The sites are open in their expressions, with photos of deathly-thin teens, memoirs of anorexics, and support from others with the disorder. However, the support system they provide is not healthy, and certainly is not positive or encouraging. Those battling an eating disorder see the pictures as incentive to lose more weight, and read the accounts of others and feel they are part of an elite group because they have the disorder. There is no discouragement to dieting and trying to lose weight, only tips on how to shed more pounds, calorie counters, and “thinspiration” to further draw people in.

Healing Despite the Harmful Influences

Treatment professionals are, of course, concerned with the pro-ana sites, which number at least 180 on any given day. Many have been shut down, but others keep popping up. The fact that so many teens use these pages to fuel their obsession means that we can’t ignore that they exist. Counselors have begun to familiarize themselves with the sites, to see where the teens are coming from, who is influencing them, and what draws them to the pages.

One thing that no doubt draws people to the sites is the support that they receive. Teens with an eating disorder often are perfectionists, have a goal-oriented family, and also have a negative self image. These teens tend to go to extremes when working toward a goal, and are willing to sacrifice even their health to reach that goal. So when a website glamorizes a sort of exclusive group of anorexics that are able to exhibit extreme control over what they eat, some teens get caught up quickly. Even when patients know that what they are doing is unhealthy, it is extremely difficult to turn an eating disorder around. After all, giving up the control they think they have means the possibility of gaining weight and giving up all they’ve done to get to that point.

The first thing patients need to do as they recover is find a real support group that can provide true and healthy encouragement. Many of these people need to feel the support and approval of others, and are strengthened when they hear the positive stories of other people recovering.

Sources

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia

Pro-Anorexia Websites Send Convoluted and Deadly Messages, Study Finds

Teenage girls can be so impressionable. Magazines, movies, advertisements, and friends all play a large role in how young girls feel about themselves as they grow up. This is one reason why teenage girls have the highest incidence of anorexia and other eating disorders. For those that suffer with an eating disorder, food and body image take over the person’s life – nothing else matters.

Body Image

It’s easy for us to identify the causes of eating disorders in today’s ultra-glamorized world. Models are getting thinner and thinner, and stars that are an average size are considered overweight. Teens put so much pressure on themselves to look good that the thought that they might be gaining weight is sometimes enough to cause a panic in their minds. For some of these teens, gaining weight is their worst fear.

It is probably not beneficial, then, when companies design their clothes to fit only the smallest sizes, or use the sickly-thin models to show their clothes. Urban Outfitters has a new t-shirt that reads “Eat Less”, which unfortunately is going to send the wrong message to some people that are already insecure about their size.

The Effects of Anorexia on the Body

Anorexia, or the disorder that causes someone to starve themselves, causes damage to the entire body. The lack of nutrition is the main cause. Weak bones and muscles, skin, hair, and eye problems, and organ failure can all occur because of anorexia. The brain is also affected. A recent study from Yale University shows that women with anorexia have less brain volume then healthy women. Those that had suffered with the eating disorder for a longer time had the greatest reduction in brain matter.

Getting Help for an Eating Disorder

The good news that the Yale study found, however, is that when these women started gaining weight again through good nutrition, they were able to regain some of the gray brain matter that they lost. Treatment can be effective for these patients, but the sooner help is found, the better.

It’s good for us to be healthy, and to watch what we eat. Our country has seen a trend in recent years of increasingly overweight children and adults. But disorders like anorexia are also increasing, and more and more people are starving themselves in order to achieve a body they are satisfied with. Someone with anorexia spends years of their life trying to gain control. They want to get well, but their addiction to controlling their food intake is too powerful.

We must continue to work to put an end to anorexia. It starts with offering help to those with the disorder. Then we need to change the images we are bombarded with, and focus on health and wellness, rather than the best looking body.

Sources 

Gaining weight may also bulk up brain volume for anorexic women

New Urban Outfitters T-Shirt Promotes Pro-Anorexia Movement

Brain Volume Lost to Anorexia Reversible

Eating disorders are more than just a teen trend. They are dangerous and potentially fatal, and they can affect a wide variety of people.

Just like with substance abuse and mental illness, there is usually a complex web of factors that cause an eating disorder. Usually, things like volatile family relationships, social pressures, and media influences can cause an eating disorder. Other factors like stress, depression, and anxiety are often found to be behind the disease. An eating disorder is a mental illness, and requires professional treatment from a group of trained physicians.

Effects of Eating Disorders

There are different types of eating disorders. There is anorexia, where the individual restricts their food intake so much that they starve themselves. There is bulimia, where the person eats in excess, and then throws up or takes laxatives in order to purge themselves of the food. Then there are variations and combinations of the two. Eating disorders dominate a person’s life and they cause an obsession with food and body image. Someone with an eating disorder will take what might start as a healthy consciousness of the body and turn it into a deadly disease of the mind. Nearly 20% of people with an eating disorder die from it, either from starvation or complications because of the unhealthy eating or purging. Organs shut down when not nourished properly, but people with this disease are so wrapped up in it that they can’t see the harm they are doing to themselves. It is very much like substance abuse, in that the individual tries so hard to control something in their life, or deal with stress or anxiety, but they actually ruin their health and life, and are so out of control they can’t help themselves.

Treating Eating Disorders

There are many programs out there that treat people with eating disorders. Usually, these programs incorporate things like medical treatment, weight management, therapy, and nutritional education. Support groups are important for follow up care and to prevent relapse. Researchers have found recently that activities like yoga are beneficial as a supplement to typical treatment for eating disorders. Yoga focuses on reconnecting the body with the mind, and helps individuals cope with stress. Other activities that relieve stress and help focus the mind might prove to be beneficial as well.

Eating disorders are manageable, but often require professional help. Early intervention provides the best chance at full recovery. In order to prevent eating disorders, we should educate the public about these disorders and about healthy exercise and eating. We should also be aware of the super-thin body images portrayed in the media and be wise to the fact that real people have different kinds of body types. Parents should watch for signs that their child has an eating disorder, but be aware that people with these disorders will go to great lengths to conceal them.

Sources

A stand against eating disorders

Study shows yoga helps battle eating disorders

How an Eating Disorder Affects Your Life