Essay about Pro-Anorexia Websites

Incidences of Anorexia Nervosa have appeared to increase sharply in the USA, UK and western European countries since the beginning of the 60s (Gordon, 2001). The increasing prevalence of the disease has led the World Health Organisation to declare eating disorders a global priority area within adolescent mental health (Becker et al. 2011). Anorexia has in many ways become a modern epidemic (Gordon, 2000) and with a mortality rate of 10% per decade (Gorwood et al. 2003), the highest of any mental disorder (Bulik et al. 2006), it is an epidemic that social and biological scientists have been working tirelessly to understand.

For many the term “Anorexia” conjures up memories of bone thin, weight obsessed teenage girls, models, and actresses. However, as the spotlight has been shined on Anorexia bringing this secretive and quiet disorder to a wider public perception, many still suffer in silence: either too ashamed to seek treatment, or because of an improper diagnosis.

The author is not even preventing from people having eating disorders or giving advice or suggestions. Mim Udovitch is just presenting the audience with facts and experiences from people suffering from anorexia or bulimia. The article is just making the problems of high fatal rates of mental illness from people suffering from bulimia and anorexia obvious to the adults. The group of people that mainly read The New York Times is adults. Ken Jackson believes that The New York Times should be publishing articles about people who want help and methods of helping them. The true meaning behind the article is not being shown because the article is covered with facts and experiences. The author did not stress enough on improving the lives of many individuals suffering from eating disorders. Udovitch should be inspiring people with eating disorders to treat themselves and seek help.

Thesis Statement: It is important to understand eating disorders and the types of eating disorders to overcome them and seek the proper treatment.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder and a mental health condition that could potentially be life-threatening. People with anorexia try to keep their weight as low as possible by restricting the amount of food they eat. They often have a distorted image of themselves, thinking that they're fat when they're not.  Some people with the condition also exercise excessively, and some eat a lot of food in a short space of time (binge eating) and then make themselves sick. People affected by anorexia often go to great attempts to hide their behaviour from their family and friends by lying about eating and what they have eaten. Anorexia is linked to

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, anorexia holds one of the highest death rates out of all mental conditions. If girls read informative sites rather than biased bone-loving sites, they would realize that the risk outweighs the benefit. If girls read informative sites, they would learn that in an anorexic person, “the body is denied the essential nutrients it needs to function normally, so it is forced to slow down all of its processes to conserve

After reviewing the “Dying to be Thin” (2000) video and the two studies on anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) my view of these two disorders has been expanded and somewhat altered. The “Dying to Be Thin” video looked at the history, triggers, medical complications and treatments. It documents the struggles of models, dancers and teenagers with the disease. The two studies on AN and BN asked patients in a therapeutic setting to write letters to their disorders from the friend and foe perspective. The results were interesting and merit further studies.

When I first heard about this idea of anorexia, I thought it was some magical formula that could make you skinny without doing any work. Of course that work was actually starving yourself, but everything I read made it seem effortless. That is something that Osgood brings up in her book. Being a Millennial, the internet was always just a click away. I was able to come across countless testimonies of people with anorexia and how it really did change their lives. What is shocking, however, is the amount of chat sites, websites, internet forums, and social media groups that actively promoted eating disorders, as well as images and links to thousands of “thinspiration” posters and quotes. Like Osgood states, the community glamourizes eating disorders into something that is not harmful to the body and easy to do. I remember finding how-to sites on being anorexic with one site even giving a step-by-step guide on how to hide the signs of eating disorders from your family, how to overcome feeling faint, and making the most out of your starvation. Looking back now I realize I how absurd and harmful they actually are, but at the time I actively followed their recommendations. Some of

Eating disorders are common in our society and the internet has become a platform for people with similarities to come together. Women and girls who are anorexic use pro-anorexia, or “pro-Ana,” blogs and websites to look for tips and inspiration for their lifestyle. The pro-Ana blogs have tips for women who are looking for ways to lose weight, stay skinny, and trick their doctors, friends, and family. Some suggestions are promoting starvation and the misuse of laxatives. Though the websites are not recruiting people, they do reinforce anorexic behavior and praise the disorder. The websites are primarily for those who have already made a choice to commit to the lifestyle for the time being. Anorexia is a serious disorder in which usually a woman, is extremely below average weight, has an intense fear of being fat, and can be starving and misusing laxatives and diuretics. Pro-Ana websites encourage harmful behavior, can misguide people in the need of help, and should be monitored.

In my research, I explored the world of eating disorders. I wanted to see if there was anything specifically encouraging eating disorders and if there was a way to stop it. Eating disorders affect the community greatly because often times, they go unchecked or unrecognized. As a recovered anorexic, I feel it’s very important to address this issue. It’s a very big problem that is often not addressed at all, or is seen as normal, like counting calories. I hoped to find a way to improve the way that eating disorders are viewed and explain to people about what defines an eating disorder, because many people will never know if it is not explicitly explained to them. My study’s purpose is to bring light into the dark world of eating disorders

An analysis done by the National Institute of Health revealed, that plenty of Pro-Anorexia or "Thinspiration" websites and blogs support extreme weight loss and eating disorders, masquerade as fitness inspiration websites. This caused plenty of body dysmorphia sufferers to restrict their diets, which is potentially hazardous as the content should supposedly be devoted to healthy pursuits. Social media is also an outlet where a person can be exposed to body shaming, which serves as a trigger for those already suffering from the

One website I found is called the Pro-Ana website. It details how one can be anorexic. For instance, it states, “Fasting makes me feel soooo good and strong but here are some tips to make it easier.” To me this is disturbing and this person obviously has a need to be in control of all situations. Then it goes on to list fasting tips, such as, Spin around in circles, it will make you too dizzy and nauseous to eat. It also suggests taking a nap, and other methods to keep oneself from eating. To me this is disturbing since it tries to promote being anorexic as completely normal. However, the truth is anorexia can kill you or I should say will kill you eventually. Yes, sites like this should be disabled and or at least regulated. I say disabled

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders 5th edition defines anorexia nervosa as an eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss; it is a serious and potentially life-threatening disorder. According to the DSM 5, the typical diagnostic symptoms of anorexia nervosa are: dramatic weight loss leading to significant low body weight for the individuals age, sex, and health; preoccupation with weight; restriction of food, calories and fat; constant dieting; feeling “fat” or overweight despite weight loss and fear about gaining weight or being “fat.” Many individuals with anorexia nervosa deny feeling hungry and often avoid eating meals with others, resulting in withdrawal from usual friends and activities

How many of you have ever battled an eating disorder or known someone with an eating disorder? One or two of every 100 students will struggle or have struggled with an eating disorder. An anonymous quote from someone who struggled an eating disorder once said “Nothing matters when I’m thin”. Anyone of us in this room is at risk of an eating disorder. Females have to maintain that ‘normal’ look to fit in with society. More guys are seeking help for eating disorders as well. Guys with eating disorders tend to focus more on athletic appearance or success than just on looking thin. I’m going to inform you today about anorexia; what it is, signs, causes, effects, and possible treatments to help it.

This paper is a critical analysis of how research into pro-anorexia websites effects is insufficient for determining their influence on body dissatisfaction, dieting and anorexia nervosa (AN) disorder. These unorthodox services have received outrage in recent New Zealand (NZ) news coverage because they are seen to advocate engagement in eating disorder behaviour, and disengagement from professional treatment (Hawkes, 2017).