Eating Disorder Help

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Author:
Thomas Morva

Though bulimia is classified as an eating disorder, not everyone with bulimia feels like they have a disorder. Some view bulimia and anorexia as lifestyles—chosen lifestyles.

People with bulimia and anorexia are terrified or shamed by the thought of getting fat or even eating. They have an unhealthy body image and feel that, no matter how they actually look, they are overweight. People with bulimia may binge on food, but then they either vomit after meals, abuse laxatives, or exercise excessively. People with anorexia starve themselves. Ninety percent of eating disorders are in women, many in their teens.

Pro-bulimia and pro-anorexia groups reside on the Internet. Web sites and message boards run by mostly teenage girls are devoted to “Ana,” short for “anorexia,” and “Mia,” short for “bulimia.” Many of these Web sites use nutritional information to plan diets like, for example, how to eat the needed requirements of vitamins and minerals in the fewest of calories. Other sections teach the reader how to eat the fewest calories in a day, how to hide anorexia or bulimia from other people, and other information to, essentially, make having an eating disorder more efficient.

To the people who are pro-bulimia and pro-anorexia, eating disorders are a choice. Many Web sites include pages dedicated to “thinsperation,” quotes, art, and pictures of skinny or obese people to encourage readers to lose weight. The Web sites are support groups to the people who use them.

Many people, however, find the pro-bulimia and pro-anorexia pages disturbing. Eating disorder treatment professionals have debated how to best handle the people who view their eating disorder as a lifestyle. Some have argued that these Web sites should be shut down, but others say this will not fix the problem, and that women have been talking about weight with each other for ages.

The best solution to these Web sites, many professionals say, is to try to change the culture that creates women who feel too fat. Young women—and men—should be praised for their accomplishments, not their appearance. Healthy appetites and body images should be encouraged, and teenagers should receive love and support from the adults close to them.

About the author:
Bulimia Info provides detailed information about the causes, symptoms, and effects of bulimia; bulimia treatment and recovery; the relationship between anorexia and bulimia; and information about the “pro bulimia” viewpoint. Bulimia Info is affiliated with Original Content.

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Eating Disorders... Pro Anorexia Websites Surge in Popularity Given all the education and warnings on the subject, it's surprising that so many women still suffer from anorexia nervosa, a disorder that leads people to starve themselves. If left unchecked, anorexia can lead to serious longterm health consequences and can even be fatal. Knowing all of this, why do so many young women succumb to this dreaded disease? Has the Internet played a role in fanning the fires of what its sufferers often affectionately refer to as "ana"? Young women are gathering on what are called pro ana or pro anorexia websites. These sites feature message boards where women can bond and share tips on how to lose weight. Whereas anorexia often used to be a lonely and secretive part of a woman's life, now it has become a way for women to bond, a club anyone can join as long as they desire to be thin. In addition to message boards and chat areas, these sites also feature "thinspiration" photos, usually photographs of extremely thin models and actresses. The Internet makes it easier to collect these photos and post them so they can be shared and admired. In combination with the Internet, the obsession with celebrity in recent years has caused the pro ana movement to explode. Tabloid reports about young actresses who seem to be wasting away to nothing sell a lot of copies. The popularity of gossip websites has also exploded. On sites such as Awful Plastic Surgery and PerezHilton.com , people talk obsessively about celebrity, including how thin certain actresses seem to be getting. Most of us can't figure out why our fellow humans would willingly starve themselves since throughout our evolution, we have always tried to avoid famine and starvation. In a society that has an obesity problem, in which every plate of food is supersized, the idea of...