Pro-ana meets Facebook

24th November 2008

posted in Eating Disorders, Pop Culture |

Newsweek has an interesting article out on how pro-ana groups are coming out of the anonymous shadows of free-hosted websites and into the very public arena of Facebook. Anti-pro-ana Facebook groups still outnumber pro-ana sites on Facebook by a wide margin, but increasing numbers of pro-ana groups are now being launched on the site, with users linking their real-life profiles to their eating disorders.

Pro-ana members claim these groups provide a source of support and people who understand their disorders and do not judge them. Others aren’t so sure. Stanford professor Rebecka Peebles, M.D. coauthored a 2006 study which found that 96 percent of teens diagnosed with eating disorders who visited pro-eating disorder websites learned new dieting and purging techniques, and almost 50 percent of teens who visited sites ostensibly devoted to eating disorder recovery also learned new weight-loss tips.

Such groups violate Facebook’s terms of use by promoting self-harm or harm to others. Facebook doesn’t keep statistics on how often it deletes pro-ana pages, but says a team of employees actively searches for and deletes pro-ana and other self-harming groups. The hunt has only caused pro-ana Facebook groups to become even more secretive, with many omitting the term “pro-ana” from searchable titles.

Tell us what you think: Is it “safer” now for pro-ana sites to operate more openly than before? Should the sites be deleted or will this only force them underground? Do you frequent or did you used to frequent pro-ana sites and if so, why?

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1 On November 24th, 2008, Beulah Rosalie

said:

I have been struggling with disordered eating habits since childhood and although I’m not proud to admit this, I’m quite familiar with pro-ana. It’s always struck me as severely damaging, even at the height of my involvement, but I think that’s part of the allure — these women and girls hate themselves and want to tear themselves apart, and it becomes a kind of self-destruction competition.

I honestly don’t know whether the groups should be allowed to exist, but I’m certain that two groups will spring up for each one deleted. Pro-ana girls are determined if nothing else.

posted on November 24th, 2008 at 12:29 pm

2 On November 24th, 2008, Grey

I wonder how often pro-ana sites are actually shut down. I remember it being a big deal a couple of years ago (shutting them down, that is), but that seems to have subsided. There’s still a lot of hype surrounding the sites, but more-so about how they are awful and harmful rather than how they need to be shut down.

The jump to Facebook does surprise me a little–but it’s not shocking. I was more surprised when I first came across residential treatment center alumni groups on Facebook. While maybe you shouldn’t keep your eating disorder a secret, it still just seemed a very public statement to the world, “I have an eating disorder.”

Overall I think it’s a great (albeit sad) example of how life-consuming eating disorders can be…

posted on November 24th, 2008 at 1:20 pm

3 On November 24th, 2008, Rachel

I think pro-ana sites can provide much-needed support for some people, but it’s often a false sense of support. And there is a large difference between supporting and enabling someone.

Even pro-recovery sites can sometimes be detrimental to recovery, I think. I belonged to an active pro-recovery messageboard and recently realized that, in a sense, I was merely using the board as a way to keep that connection to my eating disorder, even if it was in a positive and constructive sense. I’m at a point in my recovery where I want to leave the eating disorder utterly and completely behind, sever the ties and move on and face the world without that lingering identity marker. Miring myself in even a pro-recovery message board simply keeps that eating disorder flame alive within me.

posted on November 24th, 2008 at 1:47 pm

4 On November 24th, 2008, Carrie

I see pro-ana sites as the equivalent of a crack den: making them out in the open doesn’t make them any less dangerous. People with EDs need support, obviously. But they need support from people who want to see them healthy and whole and not use them as a “trigger” or a way to rationalize their own illness.

I wrote about this a bit here: http://ed-bites.blogspot.com/2008/11/gathering-on-internet-around-their.html

Good post- I like how you addressed the issue.

posted on November 24th, 2008 at 2:19 pm

5 On November 24th, 2008, Linda

I was familiar with the “support” argument for these types of forums, but I was surprised to come across a forum whose purpose was to *openly* advocate for eating disorders. In other words, no fooling around with “we just want to be able to talk about our eating disorders without being judged”, it’s full on unabashed glorification of eating disorders.

posted on November 24th, 2008 at 3:11 pm

6 On November 24th, 2008, emi

I am a member of an ED-related livejournal community. I think that ED-related groups can generally be divided into three rough categories. One group is pro-recovery - groups that provide support for people who are recovering.

Another group is “pro-ana,” which I consider groups that promote EDs and/or enourage/support ED behaviors. I think that’s pretty abhorrent and pro-ana groups should be deleted.

The group I’m a member of is the third kind - it’s not pro-recovery, but it does NOT encourage or promote ED behaviors. We regularly get new members who join and ask for “tips,” and those people are basically told that EDs are horrible, and that we wouldn’t wish them on ANYONE and if you’re not already sucked it, GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN. However, we also don’t tell people they should recover, because not everyone is ready for that, and the group is more about support than recovery. People write about deciding whether to tell friends & family members about the ED, they post about their day, they post how they’re feeling - it’s a place to vent and share, and know that no one is going to judge you or tell you to act differently. And everyone is very encouraging and supportive of recovery efforts, and realistic about the harmful effects of eating disorders. I’d be really sad if that kind of group was deleted in an effort to eliminate “pro-ana” type groups.

posted on November 24th, 2008 at 8:22 pm

7 On November 25th, 2008, teen

I frequent pro-ana (preferably mia) sites, and its never on facebook. I feel that people who openly join these groups are seeking attention from there peers (because it will be clearly visible on there facebook page) more than community/support/advice. I do,however, use xanga more than twice a day. xanga and other blogging sites are feeding grounds for pro-ed sites. But its interesting, because many of the blog sites are not as intense (lack of a better word) as sites such as [link deleted] and other sites. The girls on blog sites give myself and others an outlet to openly discuss eating habits without criticism. I feel understood through these sites. And people often times express concern.

posted on November 25th, 2008 at 1:44 am

8 On November 25th, 2008, Jackie

*headdesk*

Not surprised. I joined a group on there once complaining about how Tropic Thunder was displaying derogatory images of intellectually disabled people. There were people in the group just yelling, “hahaha retard” everywhere, and nothing was done. I’m sure it was reported, but nothing was done on that end either.

So now I guess this means Facebook is the un-moderated free-for-all. Well I’m glad someone noticed and held them to account for it. I mean, it’s like Craigslist. Someone mentioned at Abundia (www.abundia.org), to use it for dating. I was like, “Um two people were murdered from meeting someone on that website. I don’t advise it.” Eventually I came to meeting them halfway, by saying well Sociopaths are extremely good at manipulation, and knowing how to behave like a sain person when it comes to meeting their means. However, I am not going to post a dating ad on a website, where I could just as well be set up on a date with a genuine nice guy, or Michael Meyers from Holloween.

So pretty much, I say these sites need to get themselves moderated, or take themselves down. We don’t need anymore places for psychos to congregate on the web, bad enough they have 4Chan as it is.

posted on November 25th, 2008 at 3:43 am

9 On November 25th, 2008, Richard Mullen

Eating disorders are bad and that includes eating too much. I am a strong supporter for freedom of speech but encouraging any group, especially impressionable children, to harm themselves is wrong. Facebook is not encouraging them and I think they are doing the right thing by closing out these groups. I think this strong concern should be applied to all eating disorders and not just the pro ana ones. Too many people in the U.S are dying from eating too much versus too little.

posted on November 25th, 2008 at 11:23 am

10 On November 25th, 2008, Rachel

I think this strong concern should be applied to all eating disorders and not just the pro ana ones. Too many people in the U.S are dying from eating too much versus too little.

Uhh… I don’t see that many “pro-gorge-yourself-to-death” kind of sites or groups out there. And eating disorders? Aren’t about food at all. They’re about our relationships with food.

posted on November 25th, 2008 at 11:33 am

11 On November 25th, 2008, sannanina

Uhh… I don’t see that many “pro-gorge-yourself-to-death” kind of sites or groups out there. And eating disorders? Aren’t about food at all. They’re about our relationships with food.

Indeed. I also find it unlikely that we will see many “pro-gorge-yourself-to death” in the future since people with binge-eating disorder usually don’t WANT to be bigger, on the contrary being disgusted with one’s own body because it is too big is often (usually?) part of the disorder. Anorexia and BED are in some ways opposites of the same spectrum, but certainly not in this way.

posted on November 25th, 2008 at 12:50 pm

12 On November 25th, 2008, CED

Thanks for the covering the Newsweek article on the growth of pro-ana groups on social networking sites like Facebook. The Center for Eating Disorders, home to Dr. Crawford, who is interviewed in this Newsweek article, just wrote a blog entry about this growing problem. To read about what CED thinks about this issue or to view the link to the Newsweek article: http://eatingdisorder.org/blog/2008/11/25/newsweek-highlights-the-dangers-of-pro-anorexia-groups-on-social-networking-sites/

posted on November 25th, 2008 at 3:54 pm

13 On November 25th, 2008, Beulah Rosalie

Richard — How many people in the US die from eating too much? I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of that happening… except for that one scene in Se7en. *shudder*

posted on November 25th, 2008 at 4:02 pm

14 On November 25th, 2008, sannanina

Richard — How many people in the US die from eating too much? I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of that happening… except for that one scene in Se7en. *shudder*

Although it is true that overeating is not as dangerous as eating too little I certainly would like to see people pay more attention to compulsive overeating and binge-eating (note: both are NOT equal to “obesity” - just as not every thin person is anorexic not every fat person eats compulsively).

But Richard seems to make the assumption that people who compulsively overeat/ binge somehow reinforce overeating on “pro-BED” websites just as some people with anorexia fuel their disorders by visiting pro-ana sites. That’s ridiculous (and no, fat acceptance is not “pro-BED”). I don’t know if there are cultures where this is different, but in modern western culture I have never met a binge-eater who was not disgusted and ashamed about bingeing. Hell, I myself still am ashamed for both my body weight and my eating disorder. Part of me STILL thinks that I am somehow weak and stupid, and wishes that I would have the “self-control” of a person with anorexia or “at least” bulimia. (Yeah, I know how stupid this is, I apologize for the people with anorexia and bulimia who read this - I understand very well that your disorder is hell for you, however, my inner binge-eater doesn’t.) Also, at least for me a binge often starts with eating something “forbidden” and then feeling that I have failed which leads to more eating.

(Somewhat off-topic, I know. I am sorry. I am just really frustrated about the misconceptions out there.)

posted on November 25th, 2008 at 5:45 pm

15 On November 25th, 2008, Richard Mullen

Let me clarify. With obesity sky rocketing it seems the precedence on worrying about anorexics is slightly overboard. Even the CDC has a hard time quantifying the number of people due to the rarity of the disorder but they estimate the number of people to be less than a fraction of 1 percent of the U.S. Of that 1 percent roughly 20% die or suffer serious health consequences.

This does not take away the importance of treating the disorder or caring for those with the disease but it makes me wonder why so little effort is being shown to a disease that is clearly more prevalent.

I work in the DC area and that means commuting daily and seeing thousands of people daily. I might have seen 2 people this year that would be considered thin enough to suspect anorexia. Sort of like worrying about polio more than AIDS, heart disease, and cancer combined.

posted on November 25th, 2008 at 8:22 pm

16 On November 25th, 2008, Rachel

Richard — Eating disorders can be deadly at ANY weight and it’s usually rare for someone, even an anorexic, to die from starvation itself. Remember Terri Schiavo? She reportedly suffered a heart attack brought on by complications from bulimia. She also wasn’t thin enough to warrant suspicions of anorexia, either. That’s the thing with eating disorders; they don’t discriminate and you can’t determine if someone has one on the basis of weight alone. I developed a lifelong heart disorder during my eating disorder and my BMI at the time fell firmly in the average range. It’s also difficult to gauge the numbers of eating disorder related deaths because, like obesity, an eating disorder is rarely listed as the official cause of death. Case in point: The number one reason for anorexia-related deaths isn’t starvation or even heart attacks — it’s suicide.

And just because anorexia might not kill all of its victims (even though it does have a conservative 20 percent mortality rate) doesn’t mean it doesn’t warrant research and resources. It’s estimated that some 11 million people in the U.S. have an eating disorder, with one researcher placing this number much higher at some 27 million people. That’s hardly inconsequential. Between 1994 and 2000, there were 18 million cases of cancer diagnosed. According to Dr. Chris Kraatz, eating disorders prevalence is nearly equal to that of all cancer diagnoses for the last 15 years, all living survivors of strokes, and all living survivors of heart attacks combined. They are the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. I think more attention needs to be devoted to eating disorders, particularly bulimia and especially binge eating disorder, while plenty of attention, money and resources are already and increasingly being allocated to treat what you would deem obesity-related diseases and disorders.

posted on November 25th, 2008 at 9:17 pm

17 On November 25th, 2008, Tori

A few years ago I visited pro-ana sites. Even when my ED was going full-force, I didn’t like the sites because I knew they were promoting something unhealthy. Although I was somewhat in denial about how bad they were and how bad of shape I was, I still knew there was something kind of shady about them.

However, journalism is my second major so I have taken quite a few ethics and law classes, so I don’t really know whether or not I agree with shutting them down. Sure, Facebook can, it’s their site so they can do what they please, but as for just being on the internet in general…I don’t know. I totally disagree with everything on those sites, just let me say, but at the same time I don’t know if it’s fair to restrict people’s free speech rights. That’s the tricky thing about it, is that they are legally allowed to voice their opinions even if the rest of us don’t agree with it. I’m curious, does anyone know if there are any lawsuits or cases involving pro-ana sites? If there aren’t, I’m sure it won’t be long.

posted on November 25th, 2008 at 9:18 pm

18 On November 25th, 2008, Rachel

Tori: Do you mean lawsuits initiated by pro-ana site founders for being shut down? If so, I haven’t heard of any. Most of these sites are started by teens and/or young women and cater to a similar demographic. That, the nature of the disease itself and the stigma of pro-ana sites would make it difficult for someone to launch legal action against a company for shutting down their site, I imagine.

posted on November 25th, 2008 at 10:30 pm

19 On November 25th, 2008, Tori

That, or I could imagine a family suing after someone died after going to those sites. It would be an unfortunate situation any way you look at it, really.

posted on November 25th, 2008 at 11:12 pm

20 On November 25th, 2008, Rachel2

Rachel-nice response to Richard’s statement concerning EDs. They are indeed a slippery slope, and if diagnosed by weight alone, you are absolutely correct in that the majority of people with eating disorders (of any type) will not fall into that ultra-low BMI category. That’s what makes them so dangerous.

As for whether or not Facebook should allow pro-ana groups to exist, I firmly believe that the pro-anas should be taken down in the name of promoting danger. I know that the pro-anas state that they are merely seeking support and don’t want to recover, yadda, yadda, BUT, and here is the BIG BUT, there are SO MANY people who seek out the support of pro-ana groups to “learn” to have an eating disorder. That’s the problem. The ED sufferers are already in the fire. The “wannarexics” are the moths attracted to the flame. Keep them out of it and promote health AND beauty at any size. There should be a large push for this. My guess would be that the rates and stats of EDs would decline, were our culture a lot more female-friendly.

posted on November 25th, 2008 at 11:30 pm

21 On November 26th, 2008, Jackie

Rachel I agree with Rachel2, your response to Richard was nice. Much more civil than mine would’ve been, which would’ve most likely been something to the extent of, “What moron comes to a size acceptance website to proliferate on how people eat themselves to death?” Maybe he has one of those, “I’m concerned and worried about fat people’s health!” complexes.

posted on November 26th, 2008 at 6:22 am

22 On November 28th, 2008, On Facebook? Don't do this. . . | ddm said:

[...] Pro-ana meets Facebook » The-F-Word.org [...]

posted on November 28th, 2008 at 3:04 pm

23 On November 29th, 2008, Nancy

I would have to disagree with your opinion about anorexia being about a bad relationship with food. For years I have suffered with an eating disorder and have finally realized that in the end it is not about the food. It is about being able to control something in your life when all around you things seem to be happening to you and the inability to do anything about them. ED are about self medicating when the pain (emotional) becomes so bad it is about to overwhelm you. Some people turn to food as a medication others to drugs, alcohol, or sex. The reason is the same CONTROL.

posted on November 29th, 2008 at 9:24 pm

24 On December 1st, 2008, Tori

I agree with you Nancy that eating disorders are about control. However, I do believe that that isn’t why they start. At least for me, my ED did start because of food, but it grew into a full-blown ED because of control. So for girls who are vulnerable, being exposed to something glamorizing EDs could push them into starting something that isn’t good for them.

posted on December 1st, 2008 at 11:15 am

25 On December 1st, 2008, Rachel

Nancy — I don’t think we’re in disagreement at all, actually. I define a “disordered relationship with food” as the substitution of food for emotional kinds of issues like a need for control, to self-medicate, self-punishment, etc… But sometimes, eating disorders ARE about the food. Numerous studies show how malnutrition and starvation can exacerbate and intensify many eating disordered behaviors. And a starving brain is at a great disadvantage when trying to work on the actual emotional issues girding the eating disorder.

For me, my eating disorder started as a “healthy” diet. For someone like me who is most likely predisposed to eating disordered behaviors, that diet developed into an eating disorder just as drinking could develop into alcoholism in someone predisposed to it. Control was also an issue for me, but genetics and other unique emotional issues and life circumstances also played large roles in my disorder.

posted on December 1st, 2008 at 1:45 pm

26 On January 14th, 2009, chris kraatz

i’ll have a chapter on pro-ana sites in my next book (still in the early stages…). the gist of the chapter will be this -

ED orthodoxy is staunchly against pro-ana sites and has instigated deliberate public fear and outrage against them. but there is not one piece of published research which confirms or even suggests that pro-ana sites have any negative effect on the health of anyone, including us eating disordered people. what this amounts to is that we are being silenced. we are being told that our speech is dangerous, authorities are acting on this claim by shutting sites down, and there is no empirical evidence to justify it. the medical sciences are supposed to operate based on observable evidence detailed in published research.
ED orthodoxy does not operate in this way, and the hype about pro-ana sites confirms that this is so.

pro-ana is prevalent at every grocery store checkout lane in america - in women’s magazines. why not shut them down? in fact, pretty much all of the visual thinspiration on any pro-ana site has been copied and pasted from some other site - usually a fashion or celebrity site - but those sites come under no similar scrutiny. we live in a pro-ana culture. to single out one small group of web-sites (those that we ourselves maintain and frequent) as the culprits in america’s ED epidemic is a disguised version of blaming the victim.

any speech is better than silence when it comes to EDs, even pro-ana speech. when “experts” shut these sites down they are sending us a message which says “until you acknowledge your condition as an undesirable illness, you must shut up and keep silent.” strange message in a culture that seems to value thinness so much.

chris kraatz
indianapolis
proud anorexic, bulimic, binge eater

posted on January 14th, 2009 at 12:26 am

27 On January 14th, 2009, Rachel

While I disagree somewhat about pro-ana sites being unhealthy and even dangerous, Chris, I do agree with you that our culture and media itself is very disordered.

posted on January 14th, 2009 at 10:27 am