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Fatal Trend

Pro-Anorexia Web Sites

By Gwen Morrison

"Of the 10 million victims of eating disorders in the U.S. today, eight percent are young people under the age of 20," says Abigail Natenshon, MA, LCSW, a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of eating disorders and the author of When Your Child Has an Eating Disorder from Highland Park, Ill. "Three to five percent of young teens suffer from eating disorders."

Anorexia nervosa, as stated by experts, is the most lethal of all mental health disorders. Characterized by an abnormal fear of obesity and distorted body image that leads to abnormal eating patterns, anorexia is marked by obsessive fasting. The serious effects of this disorder include everything from mild weight loss to heart problems. If left untreated, anorexia can be fatal.

"Anorexia is a disease involving food restriction and weight loss that affects the cognitive mind, the emotional self as well as the physical body," says Natenshon. "Anorexia is a misuse of food to resolve emotional problems that involves the pathological fear of becoming fat."

Currently, an alarming number of pro-anorexia Web sites are popping up on the Internet. Despite a recent ban by several of the larger search engines, there has still been a steady onslaught of sites continuing to surface on the Internet. These sites are extremely harmful to impressionable young people, often promoting anorexia as a lifestyle rather than a serious disease.

"I have known many young women through my practice who have been influenced by pro-anorexic sites to engage in purging behaviors in the interest of losing weight," says Natenshon. "These behaviors have led to dangerous eating disorders. These sites provide girls with a place to feel validated and rewarded for their self-abusive behavior."

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