Anorexics/Bulimics getting the wrong kind of Support

I have known about this for a while now. There are web based communities that encourage adolecant women in promoting these eating disorders. These sites help these young women with tips and tricks on developing and maintaining this unhealthy lifestyle.

I have provided a few of the many links on the web to these dangerous groups and websites. In my opinion I don't think that Anorexia or Bulimia should be regarded in any other light than the horrible disorder and mental illness that it is.

In fact anorexia and bulimia are the mental health disorders with some of the highest mortality rates of any mental health disorder out there.

Why am I posting this here? Well its simple, This is actualy a conspiracy, hollywood and advertising have brainwashed the young women of this country to believe that being rail thin is not only acceptable but the only way that one can be concidered beautiful.

Pro-Anorexia - A Xanga Blogring

ana's underground grotto

The Thin Files

If you want more information on what anorexia and bulimia can do to a person. Check these sites out.

Anorexia Nervosa -- Topic Overview

Anorexia: What is it?

I know that a lot of publicity has come of light lately about this terrible and life altering mental illness. But a lot of this publicity is causing these young women to go underground and group together to help each other not overcome this disorder but continue and exaserbate this condidtion.

Now some of you might ask: "Well What U KNO why are YOU telling us about this?"

Well my ex wife has struggled and continues to struggle with this horrible disease. I have seen not only the effects of it on her body but her mind as well.

Before


and after


If you know of someone that is going through this terrible disorder please encourage them to get help.

Well now that I have talked about Anorexia, I would also like to show you about Bulimia. This is in my opinion an ofshoot of Anorexia. It is when someone perposly vomits in order to loose weight. This itself is very dangerous to a persons health because the strain on the heart, lungs, and teeth.

Bulimics go through cycles where they first will binge. This means that they will eat a mass amount of food. Then comes the part where they purge, this means they vomit up everything they had eaten. After a while the stomach will stop processing food normaly because it expects to expell the food.

Sometimes these people will use laxitives to get rid of extra water weight from themselves. This becomes dangerous, because the intestinal tract becomes weakened by becoming dependent on laxitives.

Pro-mia Wikipedia

Pro-Ana/Mia - A Xanga Blogring

miafriends

Heres some interesting food for thought on bulimia. Now don't throw it down the toilet. (sorry bad joke)

Bulimia Nervosa -- Topic Overview

Dangers and Health Effects of Bulimia Nervosa

Like I said before if you know of anyone that has these disorders please encourage them to seek help.

Its sad to know how popular it is.. I think every girl must go through this phase at least once in their lives, whether they admit it or not. If they don't good for them, and some take it with them for a very long time.. while others die from it.

I don't think there is enough education on this subject in school at all, especially middle school and high school.. and none in college.. But not only education, teaching girls to be more open about it. Guys also suffer from it... but in my honest opinion they have more mental health issues then just appearance issues.

Ok now while doing more reasearch on this I came across this CNN clip about Pro Ana sites. Take a look...




What these sites are refered to in the Anorexia/Bulimia communities are called is Thinspiration

These kinds of sites show images that enforce a positive light to young women and men about the virtues of being overly thin.

I have found several videos on youtube about this subject. it's disheartining to see that these Thinspiration videos are up encouraging people to adopt this disease as a lifestyle and endanger their lives.

I kinda categorize these websites along the same lines as handing out condoms to school age kids.

The fact is that young and old women have/do/will binge and purge, starve, and anything else they can to meet their minds expectation of thin. Most of these websites IMO, and others, are keeping alot of these women alive, and healthier than they may be without the guidance.

Originally posted by nextguyinline
I kinda categorize these websites along the same lines as handing out condoms to school age kids.

The fact is that young and old women have/do/will binge and purge, starve, and anything else they can to meet their minds expectation of thin. Most of these websites IMO, and others, are keeping alot of these women alive, and healthier than they may be without the guidance.

I respect your opinion, however giving tips, holding contests like this...

The Race Is On
A little friendly competition never hurt anybody.
SS&B SW: 154 CW: 151 Change: +2 Total Lost: 3
tiara1296 SW: 155 CW: 151 Change: 0 Total Lost: 4
Began : 01/11/06 To the goal of: 120 pounds
Prize: $50.00 gift card to victoria's secret
No points, no rules, just pure dedication.
Bring It On.



I don't believe is healthy for anyone to be involved in. I completely agree with you that some will do whatever it takes to attain their goals in this sense and there is realy nothing we as loved ones can do to stop them besides forcing them into rehabilitation programs, that sadly these unfortunate people will just skate through to get out of as quickly as possible without taking any help from them.

but some of the practices that these people use to attain their goals are far from making this safer. In fact some of the tips and tricks that are suggested by these Thinspiration sites are dangerous and could be deadly.

I knew a girl that had anorexia, and I knew 2 people who were bulimic.
Both are throwing up disorders that are hard to cure. The muscles get so trained to throw up, that it comes so natural after a time. Yes, It's sad.

I agree Whatuknow.

When I look at it from 1000 miles away(or the big picture if you will) I feel better knowing that some of these women, and men btw, are communicating, and not doing this covertly.

The girls who post on this sites are caring people, and I would suspect, and expect, that if any person involved in the practices of the site, posts about a problem they are having with the practices, then the rest of the community will be there to give them the proper guidance to get help.

For example, a poster posts something like:

"Hi, I've been puking for 3 weeks now, and today I woke up with a splitting migrain that hasn't gone away. I feel weak, and lethargic and my gut is cramping as well."

I am inclined to believe that the community would tell this poster to go to the doctor. If the poster was doing this covertly, there may not be anyone to tell this too. In fact, there isn't. These practices are inherently done out of view and knowledge, of others who don't practice. These girls aren't proud, there ashamed of these practices. It's a vicious circle, and current philosphy on the matter is that these practices are an avenue of control. I'm getting carried away, so I'll end it here.

but in my honest opinion they have more mental health issues then just appearance issues.

You are absolutely correct. According to current philosphy. It's about control. What goes into and out of these girls bodies is the only thing they think they have control of. Not all of course, many girls will start the program as a diet, but end shortly after beginning. Many girls don't.

Grrr... that video made me so angry..

Honestly, who the hell would make a BS website like that? They should be dragged into the streets and shot!

Originally posted by Rockpuck
Grrr... that video made me so angry..

Honestly, who the hell would make a BS website like that? They should be dragged into the streets and shot!

A person with no heart or conscious. It is a very shallow spirit indeed.

IMO it's a cultural thing. It all started with Twiggy.

For younger members I can tell she was THE topmodel of the sixties, an icon of the time. Like sex, drugs and rock'n roll was promoted as a way in those years of flower-power, she was the undisputed queen of Carnaby St. and Swinging London.

Like the hippies she was a symptom of a wealth we never had before. Now you could afford to be thin - and she really was - THIN.

Dunno if any remembers her or heard about her? She was popular and looked up to as any rockstar of the day. Wonder where she is today?

But she started the trend, never heard about those disorders before her.

BTW, you think they suffer from such allienments in Africa? ...or India?

Aneroxia/Bulimia is a disase of (too much) wealth.

Maybe the approach for a cure should be psychological/sociological rather than medical.

Twiggy is alive and well, as you will see if you visit her web site.

I don't think she was anorexic, just naturally thin. And -- as you can see if you browse through her gallery -- she filled out a bit as she got older, as most people do.

Anorexia and bulimia are indeed mental-health problems, as some posters have stated. But they are, first and foremost, diseases of modern Western culture. They arise directly from the unnatural and absurd premium placed on thinness, especially female thinness, in Western society.

I use 'Western' in the loosest possible sense here. I know any number of South and Southeast Asian women who are obsessed with making themselves thinner, just as many Americans and Western Europeans are. However, these women are invariably drawn from the affluent, Westernized minority in their societies. They read Elle and Vogue and Cosmopolitan. They watch MTV and Fashion TV. And they all want to be thin, 'just like American girls'. The poor things don't know that Americans have the biggest backsides in the world, because the magazines and TV shows and movies they don't show so much of that.

If there is one unambiguously negative impact of globalization, it is this: the dissemination of the thinness myth to parts of the world where a nice healthy embonpoint was formerly prized.

Fortunately, there are still plenty of men and women around the world who know better. I predict that the mania for thinness will eventually fade and a healthier, more traditional concept of female beauty will again prevail.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder but it's also in our genes.
i saw on the history channel they did a study of beauty and found that there was a standard hip to waste ratio(i believe .8) through out time. Also there was a study that babies stare at the "better" looking face when giving two options.

(it took me forever to think how to word the below, no offense is intended)

The pictures made me think of a couple of things...
1) The second pic doesn't look anorexic to me. She looks like a hot girl that goes to the gym 3-5 times a week.
2) Anorexia is mental disorder, has anyone ever done a study about if it's the same one as being obest. Is being too skinny and being too fat two sides of the same coin?

I was anorexic in my teens and it has had a lasting physical effect on me. I started out wanting to get fit and healthy and then went downhill from there. Within a month or two I was down to drinking about 6 litres of cola every day (for the caffeine and sugar energy) but ate absolutely nothing. For about 3 months I lived on this diet. I could not put anything solid into my mouth as it would make me want to vomit. I could drink liquids as this did not have to touch my lips or my teeth. I still can't eat anything with lumps in it, like chunky soup, or anything with pips in it, the pips first need to be removed. I am 1.5m tall (haven't grown since my anorexia) and weighed (at the time of the anorexia) about 28kgs - now, almost 20 years later, I still only weigh 32kgs despite eating like a horse! I struggle daily to ensure that I eat enough to sustain my body as my body no longer stores fat and everything just passes straight through me. I had been on a weight-gain regime for over a year and have gained some and lost some but am unable to get my weight up to the 40kg mark. My bones are not strong due to the "malnourishment" all those years ago and I have a stomach ulcer from drinking all that cola and the digestive acids eating my empty stomach. I have 4 to 5 meals a day - toasted sandwiches, pasta, lots of icecream and chocolate and cookies and loads of vegetables - but am still unable to gain weight. I now also drink a weight-gain milkshake to try to keep the kilos on. I am still terrified of getting really fat but I can't live with the thinness anymore as I have constant bruising down the side of my legs from sleeping (my bones cut into my flesh when I sleep on my side) and I can't sit comfortably either. Anyway, just wanted to give my two cents worth. This problem is not one of "mental health" as such but more with self-image. You will never understand until/unless you've been there.

Originally posted by LovingSoul
I was anorexic in my teens and it has had a lasting physical effect on me. I started out wanting to get fit and healthy and then went downhill from there. Within a month or two I was down to drinking about 6 litres of cola every day (for the caffeine and sugar energy) but ate absolutely nothing. For about 3 months I lived on this diet. I could not put anything solid into my mouth as it would make me want to vomit. I could drink liquids as this did not have to touch my lips or my teeth. I still can't eat anything with lumps in it, like chunky soup, or anything with pips in it, the pips first need to be removed. I am 1.5m tall (haven't grown since my anorexia) and weighed (at the time of the anorexia) about 28kgs - now, almost 20 years later, I still only weigh 32kgs despite eating like a horse! I struggle daily to ensure that I eat enough to sustain my body as my body no longer stores fat and everything just passes straight through me. I had been on a weight-gain regime for over a year and have gained some and lost some but am unable to get my weight up to the 40kg mark. My bones are not strong due to the "malnourishment" all those years ago and I have a stomach ulcer from drinking all that cola and the digestive acids eating my empty stomach. I have 4 to 5 meals a day - toasted sandwiches, pasta, lots of icecream and chocolate and cookies and loads of vegetables - but am still unable to gain weight. I now also drink a weight-gain milkshake to try to keep the kilos on. I am still terrified of getting really fat but I can't live with the thinness anymore as I have constant bruising down the side of my legs from sleeping (my bones cut into my flesh when I sleep on my side) and I can't sit comfortably either. Anyway, just wanted to give my two cents worth. This problem is not one of "mental health" as such but more with self-image. You will never understand until/unless you've been there.

Thank you LovingSoul for posting that, I was hoping to get someone that personaly knew what it is like. Yes it does start out as a desire to get fit and healthy but then it becomes a habbit then an obsession, and thus a mental health disorder.

This also as you pointed out becomes a health problem. As the body becomes unable to recognise food for what it is anymore and has "learned" to live off of a certan amout of calories to maintain itself then throws everything else away. I remember the first day my ex decided to go on this "diet" as she explained it, it went down like this.

She was sitting in a parking lot of her work waiting for the office to open for the day when she saw a rather obeise woman walk across the parking lot. As she describes it the woman labored to take each and every step and was constantly out of breath. Then she saw a thin woman walk across the parking lot and noticed that she seemed to float along and not have any trouble.

She called this her apiphany and from that day on she was bound and determined to loose the weight that had haunted her sense she was pregnant with our son.

Now just to clarify a bit I loved my wife I did not care at all that she was heavy I realy didnt. And not understanding what she was doing to herself I actualy suported her decision to go down this path. I told her if it made her happy then to do it, cause all I wanted for her was that she would be happy.

At first she started eating only 1000 calories a day, the weight started coming off, and this encoraged her more. The further allong she got with her research she would eat less, till she was down to eating only 300 calories per day. She found a pro ana blogring community on xanga and started a diet journal. The women on this site were all encoraging each other in this quest of the perfect body. Acording to medical professionals the ideal weight for a woman my wifes height and age is about 140 pounds +/- she went a bit further and decided her goal weight would be 120 pounds.

As time went allong she would hit plateus (points of time when her body would not shed any more wight) and this would frustrate her imensly. she would cut back on calories even more and she began taking exlax to try and get more weight to drop.

I noticed a stark and unsettling chainge begin to apear in her personality. She became quite negitive with me, and she would start leaving the house and be gone all weekend long. I could guess that this may have been my fault because I began reading her posts on her blog and it was starting to concern me.

She became very frustrated that the weight was not comming off fast enough and she became bulimic to try and speed things up even more. She began to loath herself so badly that she even started to cut herself. This is the point when I seriously started to worry and I started to encourage her to seek help. I was very scared about what she was doing to herself and I even talked to a couple of poliece officers to see if she needed to be put away for a while to get treatment.

In Florida there is a law called the Baker Act if you feel that someone is a danger to themselves you may request law inforcement to take them into custody and take them to a psyciatric hospital for a 72 hour evaluation.

Again yes this is a problem mainly with westernized civilization as our culture encourages women to look as thin as possible and shows that as being healthy.

Sorry to dissapoint you DCP but my ex never excercized at all. and this weight loss occoured in less thain a years time. you realy don't want to see the other pictures that my ex took of herself they realy arn't apropreate for ATS and so I ddint post them but believe me they are not pretty.

Originally posted by nextguyinline
For example, a poster posts something like:

"Hi, I've been puking for 3 weeks now, and today I woke up with a splitting migrain that hasn't gone away. I feel weak, and lethargic and my gut is cramping as well."

nextguyinline unfortunatly these girls post things like:

uniform makes me feel fatter and quite retarded the uniform only looks nice on thin people. whats weird is i don't feel entirely comfortable around my mate Jo, i didn't feel right being there this new school thing its all too much for me to cope with i feel like well idk how to describe it. All the students except for 2 in my class are thin me being one of those 2 the other a dude. My tutor teacher is Mr Barry, today i learned that he is known as "Blue Berry Barry", This because is big. According to him the school actually does take action against bullying, wow a school that sticks to what it says, HUGE F***ING MIRACLE, 'Scuse the language but thats how it its.

I eat food and then feel bad about it, I don't wanna purge based on the fact that I would easily get caught, & my 'rents would be suspicious if i didn't want lunch &/or dinner etc. I have no #ing idea what to do with myself.

My mate Darcey is coming over tomorrow afternoon, maybe i can talk to him about how i feel cuz he seems to be the only one that listens to how i feel.

or:

Hi im Kristin. Im 14 years old && HUGE, BLOATED, and DISGUSTINGLY FAT!!! I have NO control. I want to be 85 pounds!! I want to be so thin that I blow away in the wind. I want to be so thin that I can dance in bewtween the rainddrops. I want to be so thin that I leave no shadow on the ground. I want to waste away to nothing. I want to be emaciated. I want to be as thin as Nicole Richie. I want every bone in my body to stick out and be noticeable. I want my stomach to cave in. I dont want my thighs to be anywhere near touching. I WANT TO VANISH AWAY!!!!

Not healthy...

Originally posted by whatukno
Hi im Kristin. Im 14 years old && HUGE, BLOATED, and DISGUSTINGLY FAT!!! I have NO control. I want to be 85 pounds!! I want to be so thin that I blow away in the wind. I want to be so thin that I can dance in bewtween the rainddrops. I want to be so thin that I leave no shadow on the ground. I want to waste away to nothing. I want to be emaciated. I want to be as thin as Nicole Richie. I want every bone in my body to stick out and be noticeable. I want my stomach to cave in. I dont want my thighs to be anywhere near touching. I WANT TO VANISH AWAY!!!!

Not healthy...

OMG! This sounds just like me 20 years ago! I used to lie on my back and put a ruling stick across my hip bones and, if my stomach touched in the middle of the stick, I was still too fat! What a sorry state of affairs.

Those sites are disgusting. It's terible to see something like that being allowed on the internet. I read some of that stuff, it's aweful.

Here is what I see. It almost seems that the problem is purposely being created through media, and whatever other means these ideas get transmitted.

And everything is a "choice" nowadays, so you can choose to do stuff that damages you and people around you.

And everything is a problem of genes. So, it's nobody's fault anymore. "You can't do anything but control it, because it's a disease." "She couldn't help it, it was her genes."

So, what do you do to get help? You shuttle yourself off to the shrink who treats you for 6 years, but you still haven't improved, and you still have a "disease." The shrink gets boatloads of money, but cures no one of anorexia.

It's like we are being programmed into self destruction, and in the case of anorexia it gets hid under the guise of beauty. It's like some people on planet earth are being led like puppets off of a cliff.

No offense to the folks who are suffering from this problem, but the last time I checked, we were conscious beings. We can choose our actions. We can create our destinies. And no matter how much we might be convinced otherwise, we can always take a step back and look at things rationally and make a conscious decision not to do something destructive.

I have a very destructive side to me, to be honest. I get strong urges to do bad things. But that doesn't mean that I have to run out kill a bunch of people, everytime I find myself in stressfull situations.

You have to sepparate yourself from the irrational thoughts, and make a rational decision. That is one piece of advice that I can give.

Troy

[edit on 8-2-2007 by cybertroy]

[edit on 8-2-2007 by cybertroy]

[edit on 8-2-2007 by cybertroy]

Originally posted by nextguyinlineThe fact is that young and old women have/do/will binge and purge, starve, and anything else they can to meet their minds expectation of thin. Most of these websites IMO, and others, are keeping alot of these women alive, and healthier than they may be without the guidance.

With all due respect, I find this notion disturbing. Should we have websites that teach kids how to properly cut themselves? Should we tell them not to use rusty razor blades and to always clean their wounds afterwards and properly bandage them? And if so, why should those websites teach kids how to hide their cuts from their parents if it's not so bad as to require help?

Teaching people how to safely have a mental illness is definitely is absolutely not the way to go.