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Home › Articles › Health › Fatal Trend

Fatal Trend

Pro-Anorexia Web Sites

By Gwen Morrison

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Promoting Unhealthy Practices
"I don't believe the sites can trigger anorexia in just anyone," says Angela Butera Dickson, a recovered anorexic from Sanford, Maine. "It isn't a decision you just wake up with one day. It is an issue of control, and you gradually get into more and more control over your food as you lose control over the other aspects of your life. The sites promote the practice of the disease by making it seem like normal or acceptable behavior."

Dickson feels that young people, both girls and boys, are searching for a place to go to be accepted a place where their behavior can be validated and perceived as normal. Many of these sites provide just that sort of haven for them.

For Helen Henderson, a recovering anorexic from Alberta, Canada, these sites are a blatant reminder of how deadly the disease can be. "For girls on the edge, these Web sites can be very, very dangerous," she says. "If you visit on a regular basis, you can start to feel like you belong to an elite club especially since, by nature, anorexia is a lonely disorder. It becomes a competition of sorts who can be thinner? Being the thinnest translates into being the best, and anorexics want to be the best at being anorexic at all costs."

Parents Are the Best Defense
"Parents need to watch for signs of troubling influences," says Natenshon. "Kids may begin to diet or restrict certain food groups. They may worry about becoming fat even when they are thin or become preoccupied with calorie counting."

Natenshon says parents should be on alert if they notice their child makes excuses not to eat meals together with the family, disappears into the bathroom after eating or refuses to go places where they are required to eat.

"Parents need to send the right messages to their children, telling them that the best way to be thin and stay thin is to eat healthy, nutritious foods," reminds Natenshon. "Kids should understand that there are no bad foods, as long as food is eaten in moderation. If a youngster needs to lose weight, the best way to go about doing so is to eat differently not less. It's important to remember that childhood diets can be the precursor to adult obesity."

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