Beware of Pro-Anorexia Websites

Recently, I discussed what Anorexia Nervosa is and what you can do if you suspect that someone you know is anorexic.

When you have kids, many people advise you to check out what websites they seek out and are frequently on. You might have blocks up so that they can’t go to certain websites. But do you check their Facebook and MySpace accounts? There ARE pro-anorexia groups on these sites that promote being thin (someone recently wrote that “thin is beautiful but even thinner is perfection” and “you can’t ever be too thin or too rich”). Check to see if your child belongs to these groups.

Since I don’t endorse these sites in the lease, I won’t give out their links as that would be giving them what they want (promotion). If you’re so inclined, and have an account at these sites, you can search them out yourself. Some to beware of include:

On Facebook:

• Get thin or die trying

On MySpace:

• Pro-Ana Nation
• Pro Extreme Dieting

What do you do if your child IS a member of these groups or has been going to pro-anorexia websites?

• Talk to him or her (yes, I said him because even boys and men are not immune to eating disorders).
• Talk to a health-care professional if you feel uncomfortable at first in order to know what to say.
• And try to get your child help–that is the most important thing! They may hate you at first, but it could save their life, and that is more important than how they feel about you today (just think about how many times we may have told our parents we hated them!).

Good luck!!

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