Was pretty concerned today to discover that someone has taken a title from my novel to create what seems to be a pro-ana chat group.   I understand the need that people have to find others who truly understand them and support their struggles, but more and more evidence supports the concern that pro ana chatrooms and websites are doing more harm than good.  thinandbeautiful.com is intended as a story that exposes the potential dangers of pro-ana and pro-mia sites while emphasizing the serious nature of eating disorders.

http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet/2010/06/18/pro_ana_website_study

http://childrenshospitalblog.org/dangerousthinspiration/

PRO or Against?

There seems to be a new interest in the continued presence of  “pro ana” sites, with research being conducted by reliable sources.  This article is written as a warning to parents but should be of interest to young people also.

?

A couple of posts ago, I talked about the question that asks why some people develop eating disorders when others in similar situations do not.  This news article poses the idea that a possible genetic component may be at work.    There is no absolute proof of this as yet but it is an interesting possibility.

http://sify.com/news/blame-genes-for-eating-disorders-news-international-kgfpudfbajg.html

GLEEful cheerleaders?

I recently watched an episode of GLEE (yes..I watch it every week…my daughter’s fault!) where the cheerleaders in the club talk about their diet habits and Mercedes ends up fainting from lack of eating when she tries to fit in.  Cheerleading can be a really wonderful activity but there are some concerns about the affect of some aspects of it on body image.

This article takes a look at this issue.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/190727.php

Just Remembering

I put on a CD today, the Carpenters, a brother and sister team who were very popular in the ’70’s.   As it so often does, the music triggered lots of memories.   Karen Carpenter was a supremely talented musician with a beautiful voice who died at the age of 32 from heart failure that was directly linked to her battle with anorexia.  While people were starting to take notice of Eating Disorders by 1983, not too many people really believed that this was a serious, life threatening illness.  I remember hearing that she died and being shocked that it could actually happen.  Although my own recovery was past the critical stage by then, it still left me shaken.

This is an article about her life and her death.  Just a reminder of how serious this issue is for everyone involved.

http://atdpweb.soe.berkeley.edu/quest/Mind&Body/Carpenter.html

At the risk of seeming hopelessly old fashioned, here is a video of  a healthier looking Karen singing one of her classics, a rather sadly ironic tune, I guess, but a wonderful example of a beautiful voice that perhaps would not have been silenced had she had the kind of help that is available today. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvBCl3CBMXA

I found a new site that seems quite positive.  It covers all kinds of teen issues, including Eating Disorders.  There is a support forum and chat room, which is monitored by staff.  The staff are young also, in the early twenties mostly it seems from the discussions I read.  There are also options of asking for help directly from staff if you need it.

http://www.teenhelp.org/getadvice/

Anti-ana?

I recently read a blog entry by a young woman who was very disappointed that this site was not actually a pro ana site like the one in the novel.   It seemed as if she felt a bit cheated and was hoping to find some of the same types of “support” that Maddy found in the novel.

I think the idea of a support network is a wonderful one and can be of great benefit to anyone having difficulties of any kind.  The concern surrounding the pro ana sites like the one depicted in the novel is the idea that manyof these sites are actually encouraging young people to believe it’s OK to lose ever more weight by whatever means they can find, regardless of the affect on their health.  It’s easy to get caught up in the support and understanding you find on a site with other people who share your struggles but I believe the danger comes from following the advice of others who are stuggling as much as you are.  It’s hard to find perspective when you are right in the middle of something so tough.

I’ve been doing some searching for a site that would provide the benefits of a group support network without the potential negative side effects of receiving encouragement to get thinner instead of healthier.   There are a couple in the resource section that focus mainly on self image rather than ED specifically.  If anyone has suggestions of really positive sites that could be helpful for young people, let me know and I’ll check them out and post the addresses.

Thanks

Compliment or not?

Just a quick thought about compliments.  Specifically this one.  “You’ve lost weight.”

I am wondering when that changed from a statement to a compliment.   Most of us would feel flattered if someone said this to us, wouldn’t we?  The someone wouldn’t have to add anything like “you look great”.  That part is implied.   The usual response is “thank you” whether you’ve actually lost any weight or not. 

I know it isn’t a big thing but it does speak to where we are in terms of body image.

After all, how many of us would say thank you if someone said “you’ve gained weight”.  Except in unusual situations, that statement would be considered an insult to most of us, even though it is also simply a statement of fact.

Oh, and one more thought, random as it may be.  Offering someone your brochure from weight watcher’s the first time you meet them is not a good move.   I had that happen once at a school I worked at.  I immediately assumed that the person thought I was fat.

Maybe we should just keep any comments, polite or otherwise, about other people’s weight to ourselves??  Thoughts??

Why??

One of the biggest questions that seems to be out there about ED is why do they happen to some people and not others.  I don’t know that there  is a clear answer for everyone.   In my research and experience, it seems that not everyone has a precipitating event or other serious problems that underscore the ED.   When I try to look back at my own descent into the ED world, I can’t pinpoint a specific moment when I felt I needed that overwhelming control over my body.  I wasn’t a particularly unhappy teenager.  I wasn’t the world’s happiest teen either.   I was just…average.   Perhaps I’m not too objective about my own experiences,  but I don’t think the jury is in on why some people develop an ED and others don’t in similar circumstances.     There seem to be as many opinions as there are websites and books on the topic.

I deliberately wrote the book about an average girl who has an average life who finds herself caught up in the ED world because I believe it does happen in some cases.

I guess people want to know the why’s because knowing why could help you prevent it from happening or getting worse.  NEDIC does have some good prevention points on their site. http://www.nedic.ca/knowthefacts/preventionhealth.shtml

12 STEPS?

I’ve often thought over the years that recovering from an Eating Disorder must be much the same as recovering from an addiction like alcoholism.   I can’t speak for others, but I know I have to always be on guard against letting food get the upper hand in my life.  I stay away from scales (they kept on breaking when I threw them down the stairs anyway!) and try not to worry every time I let something “fattening” into my  mouth.   There’s a tiny voice always lurking, ready to get louder and tell me I need to figure out my BMI to be sure I’m not getting overweight.

I did some research into the comparisons between ED and addictions.  These two websites both approach ED recovery in the same manner as AA and, interestingly, Overeater’s Anonymous.  The 12 step program might not work for everyone and does have deeper implications in its faith based approach but I still found it interesting to find another alternative for healing.

 http://www.dailystrength.org/experts/DrDennis/article/12-steps-eating-disorders-addiction

http://recoveringanorexic.wordpress.com/overeaters-anonymous/