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Young sufferers of anorexia and bulimia who try to hide their eating problems from their parents and doctors are turning to a growing number of Internet chat rooms dedicated to perpetuating their illness.
A pilot study released on Monday of U.S. eating disorder patients aged between 10 and 22 showed that up to a third learn new weight loss or purging methods from Web sites that promote eating disorders by enabling users to share tips, such as what drugs induce vomiting and what Internet sites sell them.
But the study — published in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ journal Pediatrics — found that eating disorder sufferers were also learning new high-risk ways to lose weight from each other on Web sites aimed at helping them recover.
A wave of pro-eating disorder sites showed up on the Internet between 2001 and 2003, prompting operators of several Internet hosts to try to remove such sites. But the study showed many pro-anorexia and bulimia sites remain accessible, with most patients finding them and pro-recovery sites through chance searches.
“I feel so sick eating as much as 800 calories,” a teen-age girl, who called herself “berlinium,” wrote in a pro-anorexia chat room on Monday.
“And then for some reason now when I try to purge, I can’t get anything up. I mean I am literally shoving my fingers past my tonsils, but nothing,” she said, adding that she had just bought a drug off the Internet to induce vomiting.
While half of the parents surveyed said they were aware of Web sites promoting eating disorders, only 28 percent had ever discussed these sites with their child and only 20 percent said they placed limits on their child’s Internet use.
Sometimes, you have to wonder why parents believe “their” kids couldn’t possibly do something stupid or self-destructive?
Please tell me that pic is photo-shopped!
Yes – that picture is horrendous. I would normally say it sickens me, but in this case I am compelled to make a big breakfast with lots of carbs and calories.
Actually, this should be used on the banner of every one of those pro-anorexia and bulimia sites along with poll results of how attractive the rest of the world thinks that woman is.
teh sexy
She reminds me of Jack Skellington (Nightmare Before Christmas). Ick!
How can anyone consider that scarecrow sexy? She looks like she’d break off at the neck with anything stronger than a peck on the cheek!
well, I’m 6’4″ and 165 right now… but that’s because I run marathons as a hobby.
#1, yes, it’s photoshopped. http://www.snopes.com/photos/people/models.asp
Always remember children… runway models look like pre-pubescent boys. Makes sense when you consider what type the fashion designers like.
One other benefit is they don’t have to deal with those annoying periods.
This reminds me of the time I slipped backstage at a fashion show and robbed all the models while holding a scale.
Bwahaha!
Guys. The picture is a fake. You should take it down ASAP as promoting urban legends. At least grab a legit picture! See the above Snopes link.
While the picture is a fake the real story is just as gruesome. This is a disease and I don’t know of any guy who thinks this is at all attractive.
“Sick business breeds sick people. The entertaining & the “Fashion” in particular are the worst offenders.”
Actually, a major study was done on anorexia to determine if society’s expectations for being thin was a cause of the disease. They found an island near the Philippines where being overweight was considered socially desirable.
The researchers compared the rates of anorexia and bulimia on that island to those in the UK and the results were identical. In other words, society’s desire on weight has no impact on the disease.
It looks to me the photoshoping took all of ten pounds of them.
By calling this a disease, you marginalize the term for people who have real ones. This behavior is entirely within the control of the individual, unlike somebody with, say, cancer.
#16 So you don’t believe in mental disease? What are you a Scientologist?
I recall that people with eating disorders have a body image problem. One study showed these folks aren’t repulsed by skeletal body images like the one above. If it’s themselves they are looking at they still visualize themselves as being fat.
“It’s not my fault I’m an alcoholic, it’s a disease.”
“It’s not my fault I can’t stop gambling, it’s a disease.”
“It’s not my fault I throw up all my meals, it’s a disease.”
Yeah, I’m sure it helps to make people feel less at fault when you can shift the blame somewhere else.
Meanwhile, the girl drowning in her own mucus from cystic fibrosis is rolling her eyes.
By calling this a disease, you marginalize the term for people who have real ones. This behavior is entirely within the control of the individual, unlike somebody with, say, cancer.
If being an asshole was a disease, you could probably get your insurance company to pay for an assholectomy.
16.
I’m always perplexed by these comments. Maybe you could help me understand your position.
Are you saying it’s impossible for one person to have a higher desire to eat than someone else? Or to put it another way, are you saying that everyone has the same desire to eat but some people simple choose to eat too much or not enough?
If you agree that some people have different desires to eat, external from their will to eat, would that not be a physical condition?
And wouldn’t a physical condition that leads to detrimental health be defined as a disease or an illness?
And would referring to a headache or an ingrown toenail as a medical condition “marginalize” diseases such as cancer?
Is your sole criteria for a medical condition, illness, or disease merely how it compares to some other much more serious disease?
Do you even understand that there are varying degrees of illness, and the fact that some are minor in no way diminishes those that are serious?
And lastly, as far as I know, cancer has external causes. Smoking comes to mind.
People are complaining about “non-authentic” illustrations in a blog! What’re you — crazy? Is this Fox Snooze?
Would you whine if it was some sexy half-draped bimbo? Or a cartoon? Cripes — give me a break!
#20, V M
That was so well put. It gave me such a good chuckle I’ll be smiling all day.
#21, SN
Mike is in denial of anything remotely considered a disease or medical condition. Why? Because he doesn’t have any health insurance and therefore doesn’t want these diseases to exist.
BTW, good reply.
I was not aware that ingrown toenails were being referred to as diseases these days.
Cancer is caused by a gene mutation in a cell. Those mutations occur at random every day, and can be made more likely by exposure to a carcinogen. But cancer doesn’t have to be “caused” by anything.
My resentment with this is that I have known enough people with these self created problems who use the word “disease” as a way to make themselves into a victim instead of being the cause. And when I look at them next to the couple of people who I’ve known who have died from diseases that they did nothing to bring upon themselves, it pisses me off. And whether or not my argument is completely irrational or not, that is where I am coming from.
#18 – My issue, sadly, is that I don’t visualize myself fat 🙂
On another issue, however…
I know why Eideard chose that image… But I think he wanted a discussion of the serious issue he blogged here and a large part of what he got was a debate about the photograph (which is an obvious and well known fake). The downside of the image chosen is that it leads to an impression that this isn’t a real or serious issue.
#24, Mike
We don’t know the “cause” of many diseases. Yet someone who has schizophrenia or bipolar can be just as ill as someone who has cystic fibrosus or Huntington’s Disease. Just because mental illnesses do not manifest themselves with big green spots on the patient doesn’t mean they are not ill. Yet, so many people like to suggest “it is all in their heads” and believe their disease is so much more important.
I have seen people die from acute depression. I have also seen people die from Alzheimers, heart disease, Huntington’s Disease, and various cancers. None of them were appealing or had a better result then another.
Ever have a boney girl sit on your leg/lap….
OWWW!!
Mike,
I am not your friend, so I am apologizing for my comment which may be totally out of line. Anyway, here goes… for some reason it seams like you’re taking this personally. Words like “resentment” aren’t usually used in abstract discussions.
These people are indeed victims. Unfortunately they are many times the cause of other people’s problems as well. They are not exactly guilty of their conditions and they are not exactly “self-created” like you say. That said, it is their responsability for the damage they make to themselves and others. Guilt is one thing. Responsability is another.
As for people with cancer, etc., yes very unfortunately most of the times, they had no responsability whatsoever. My grandmother indirectly died from brain cancer and there was nothing she did to deserve that. However, many people with cancer didn’t take enough care to prevent it. You’ve got people smoking. You’ve got people sunbathing without protection, etc. It’s not like they deserve being throwned stones at. No matter how careless they might have been, having a cancer is always an extremely unfair punishment.
Anyhow, I hope you understand how easy it is to, inadvertently, be unfair in our judgments.
Amazing. At the moment of this post, 50% of the Posts on this page haven’t illustrations which come from the articles under discussion. But, only this article — with this photo — includes representational accuracy as an issue.
Methinks some of those who doth protest — have other hangups!
She’s sexy and I bet she’s hot in bed. It would be like banging a knothole or a shrubbery..
More likely to spit than swallow.