The internet, unarguably one of the marvels of the twentieth century. It has changed the way we communicate, do research, shop and get the news. But it is both a blessing and a curse, allowing us to video chat with friends in foreign places and learn about the latest news on the BP oil spill, while at the same time providing child pornography, scams of every conceivable nature, and now, communities and blogs aimed at promoting the anorexic and bulimic lifestyles.Statistics on eating disorders are staggering. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), 10 million people in the United States, mainly women, struggle with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Both disorders involve an obsession with not gaining weight and an intense anxiety about food, though this obsession manifests differently in each case.
Need to hide the fact that you’ve lost weight and look like a Biafran refugee? No problem. Want to know how to keep the repetitive vomiting of bulimia from ruining your teeth? Piece of cake. Tips on the latest diuretic? It’s all right there.
Community forums, blogs, and news sites have sprung up on every conceivable topic from Abolition to Zizith. For the most part they keep us informed, connected and show us how the world views a topic. These venues spark debate, camaraderie, and offer a safe have for like-minded people. But the downside here is that our Consitituion allows freedom of speech, so not only are we seeing topics like weight loss, cancer, and the Tea Party, we are also seeing sites that promote racism, teach hacking skills, and encourage unhealthy body images and eating practices.
Dina Borzekowski, an associate professor in Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and her colleagues conducted a study of pro-eating disorder sites—180 of them to be exact—and were shocked and dismayed at what they found.
The sites really were not that much different in design that weight-loss sites, offering BMI calculators, weight loss tips, forums and success stories. But they offered “Thin Commandments, rules for eating (or not eating), and “inspirational” photos and images of painfully thin models. According to the study:
* 83% of the sites talked about success
* 81% of the sites talked about control
* 80% of the sites talked about perfection
* 76% of the sites talked about solidarity
* 43% of the sites provided specific instructions on concealing an eating disorder
"They are reaching very vulnerable youth," said Borzekowski. "Some people who create these messages stand behind what they are doing, while another fraction realize this is troubling and they are suffering,"
These sites can be damaging, they can push a bulimic or anorexic too far. These are sites that parents should be aware of, both to monitor and as a source of information. If a parent suspects their child of having an eating disorder, they just might find keys to identifying the problem, looking beyond the norm into behavioral clues.
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