ana

Overview

Pro-ana websites were first developed to counter the many support websites which encourage and strive to aid in recovery from anorexia. Many people with anorexia attempt to justify their desire to achieve an extremely slim figure by claiming that it is not a mental illness, but an alternative lifestyle, or else they do see anorexia as a disease, but choose not to recover. Many doctors who treat anorexia see pro-ana as a life-threatening danger to people with anorexia and those at risk for it.

A common assumption is that these sites are actively trying to recruit new members, but this is almost never the case. Some pro-ana websites are fairly exclusive; others always welcome new members into the fold, whether they wish for support in recovery or illness; yet others do not accept those who are recovering or wish to recover. These sites often include tips on how to stay anorexic or be "better" at it, and tips about how to hide the symptoms from concerned friends and family members, but rare is the site that directly encourages healthy people to become anorexic.

Recently pro-ana has acquired a political dimension, especially in the United States, where participants present themselves as a walking protest against the consumer culture ^{citation needed]}.

Pro-anorexia websites can offer advice, such as admonishing readers to avoid the use of syrup of ipecac to induce vomiting ^{citation needed]}. Some claim that they can also be a place for people with anorexia to talk with others like themselves, and possibly improve self-esteem over their choice to remain anorexic. Researchers at Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh found that the social interaction on the sites provided emotional support to vulnerable women that helped them manage their problems^[1].

Less-friendly pro-ana sites vigorously castigate and mock those who decide to seek treatment for anorexia; however, most are not anti-recovery, and a person with anorexia who wishes to recover can find support for his or her choice through this network. Some of these websites are what are called ED-acceptance sites. They can provide an environment of support to people with anorexia, regardless of which choice the anorexic person makes. In some ways this could be seen as a response to the lack of medical and psychological support available to the individual. Alternatively the individual does not feel comfortable or able to express their views to their friends or family because of their cultural or psychological environment. With out support the individual may seek comfort and reassurance elsewhere in an environment which they feel the can openly express their true feelings without repercussions or any pressure to change. As eating disorders can be very isolating diseases others can find it difficult to understand or too distressing. The disease itself often manifests itself in the individuals silence encouraging professionals to believe that this may allow the disease to progress more agressively or for a longer period before the individual may receive treatment.

Criticism and controversy

Pro-ana sites can often encourage potentially (inadvertently or not) dangerous behaviour. Members may post pictures of themselves or others they find worthy of idolization. This is called thinspiration. Critics claim that this may trigger unhealthy thoughts and behaviour in visitors. Photos of extremely thin people are seen as something to aspire to, and extremely obese people as what they never want to be (although many were never obese). Though less common, pro-anas sometimes misrepresent their lifestyle, touting it as healthier or superior. Often there is an element of self motivation whereby the member seeks support for their actions but also supports the actions of others. In general these environments congratulate weight loss if the member is happy about it, comfort an individual if they have gained weight/self-harmed/purged or vomited/or has received criticism regarding their weight. Suicide and self harm is generally discouraged with members supporting the individual to receive help or find more constructive ways of expressing pain. There is often a level of sense by which the group runs and expresses their views. An example of this might be if the individual has fasted for a long period of time they may be encouraged to break their fast and try to eat something, or if they are vomiting blood, have serious pain or infection or have reached a weight that is emaciated or severely life threatening. Because of this attitude it can be perceived that the groups support is prolonging the delay of receiving help. However if a member says they are recovering or want to recover they are often highly supported, or turned away from their group so that they can get better and do not become triggered by the groups activity. In some cases individuals from medical backgrounds will answer queries which although is highly controversial and if given the wrong information can be life threatening, does in some cases save lives. The member may feel they have no one to turn to due to shame, embarrassment or fear of the consequences and will refuse to seek any other help.

To counter this, some support (pro-recovery) sites have banned the use of "numbers" (weights, BMIs, calories, etc.) and pictures. For example, the well-known recovery community of Something Fishy follows a strict "no numbers" rule on the bulletin boards, enforced by moderators who will delete the inappropriate content and encourage the poster to consider deeper personal and societal issues behind his or her illness. Other sites take the approach that if a member is expressing their opinions they are entitled to do so but not in a way that encourages other.

Pro-ana has spawned a media response, if not a moral panic. Some parents who read articles about pro-ana in magazines or see segments about it on television (notably, the Oprah Winfrey Show) become convinced that pro-ana is the new way to "extreme diet" for young girls. This can also be seen as harmful as it prevents the disease being understood as a mental illness and more of a fad or a cult. Critics argue that they had an eating disorder prior to accessing the pro-ana sites indicating a previous underlying cause. Pro-ana has also become a highly vulnerable online community, since pro-ana websites are frequently taken down by ISPs, (such as Yahoo! in 2001). These events raise issues of freedom of speech and the lack of support provided to individuals with eating disorders or the kind or support that is given. It perhaps suggests a gap in the type of non-judgmental support these individuals feel they need or the spending provided to treat eating disorders.

However, perhaps because the pro-ana community consists largely of minors, the freedom of speech issue has not been debated to the extent that it has been in the cases of filesharing and pornography. Some have suggested that the opinions these members are being exposed to can effect the individuals' long term ideas about what is healthy and unhealthy, although studies have not shown any clear effects from visiting such websites ^{citation needed]}. It is also important to take into account the well argued nature/nurture debate - whether an individual may have a genetic predisposition to the disease or if the socio-economic, upbringing and social environment plays a large role.

The anorexic underground

In some pro-ana circles, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are personified as women named Ana (for anorexia; hence pro-ana) and Bella or Mia (for bulimia). Members use this to illustrate their loneliness: "Ana" is the only friend they can rely on when everything else feels out of control. Members of pro-ana sites come together to talk about their experiences with their shared "best friend."

Pro-ana and LiveJournal

Pro-ana has expanded to include many communities on LiveJournal and other sites. The communities are becoming increasingly common and can include thinspiration, support, dieting tips, and occasionally, trolling. The community names often contain words like "beauty," "perfection," or "thinnest." These communities sometimes include support for self-harm and other such behaviours. ^{citation needed]}

Although decreasing in popularity, some of these communities are rating communities somewhat like Hot or Not. These communities allow new applicants to post pictures and information about themselves, enabling the current members to determine whether they are "good anorexics." They may quantify or "rate" anorexia from one to ten or qualify it as being "anorexic enough" or not.

Pro-ana has also naturally spawned several opposition communities, such as the Anti-Ana community, and many satirical communities, such as Pro-Smallpox [1] and formerly, Pro-Scurvy.

The communities have also gained a response among "anti-pro-ana" LJ members who have started communities such as Ed_ucate, a play on the common shorthand for eating disorder, ED. The purpose of these communities is to inform pro-anas about eating disordered criteria and the health effects of disordered behaviors so that they can make informed decisions and not spread misinformation. They also encourage accurate self-diagnosis using the DSM-IV criteria. One of the effects of this response has been an increase in awareness about ED-NOS because many pro-anas are told that they do not meet the criteria for anorexia. Some communities also encourage members of pro-ana to go into recovery.

Pro-ana website decline

At the height of its popularity (2000-2003), the pro-ana community hosted hundreds of websites. As of 2005, pro-ana is less visible. This may be because there are fewer sites, or, as some people theorize, because many of these sites have gone underground and moved out the mainstream due to censorship and the mass deletions of various sites.

See also

• Underweight
• Anti-psychiatry
• Pro-mia
• ED-NOS

References

1. ^ http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=468822006

External links

• New York Observer article
• Time Online 2001 article on pro-ana web sites
• CounsellingResource.com Article discussing respect and the value of listening with regard to pro-anorexia sites and attitudes
• WebMD article on pro-ana web sites
• Something Fishy Pro-recovery resource center and bulletin boards