More updates on my anorexia

This article looks at some of the symptoms that are associated with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa that is thought to affect more than one in a hundred Americans today.

Anorexia nervosa is an emotional disorder that, through starvation affects your mind and body. If you are suffering from anorexia you live in fear of becoming fat and this dominates everything in your life and drives your behavior almost entirely. Despite your actual body size, weight and what people around you may say, you fear constantly that you are just on the verge of becoming fat. Refusing food and the knock-on feeling of self control you feel is the number one way you will deal with this fear and this is at the heart of anorexia. Other weight control measures common among anorexics is the binge and purge cycle and compulsive exercise. The symptoms you feel as someone suffering from anorexia are basically aligned with starvation, namely low blood pressure, kidney damage, liver damage, loss of bone density, fertility issues and possibly seizures.

Anorexia is a progressive disorder and just continues to get worse over time until the patient dies. As it progresses the link between the mind and body problems become tighter, leading to ever more extreme behavior and thought patterns.

The main behavior pattern associated with anorexia nervosa, as has been explained already is the refusal to eat. This refusal extends to not just treats but the basic nutritional requirements your body needs to stay alive. The threshold for being considered anorexic is when your body weight is less than eight five percent of normal for you height and age. The refusal of food is based on two usual patterns, namely calorie counting and eliminating certain food groups entirely. It is not unusual for anorexics to only eat a few hundred calories a day. They may also eliminate carbohydrates entirely from the diet. Fat is almost always completely eliminated.

Another of the key behavioral indicators for anorexia nervosa is a compulsion to exercise. If calories cannot be restricted then the anorexic will often attempt to just burn them away on the treadmill. Someone suffering from anorexia will feel out of control if they miss an exercise session. This is similar to the feeling that anorexics who refuse to eat get if they feel they have eaten too much in one sitting. It is not uncommon for people to exercise for several hours every day even if they are physically injured or ill.

Another symptom that often appears as the disease progresses is increased hyperactivity. It is typically totally involuntary. Research suggests that as the eating disorder progresses and starvation begins to take hold, and the core temperature reduces, the body will try to compensate by inducing hyperactivity in an attempt to warm itself up.

Hopefully this article has provided some background into the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Many of the symptoms take place in private and are directly related to the sufferer’s sense of self worth. Being aware of typical behavior patterns can help identify someone who may be suffering from this life-threatening condition.

www-herbalremedies.com – Download our FREE ebook on Anorexia Nervosa. Covers the following topics (No opt-in required). What is Anorexia? Who Suffers from Anorexia and is it Serious? What are the Effects of Anorexia on the Body? When Should I Worry About Anorexia? Diagnosing Anorexia What are the Symptoms of Anorexia? What Causes Anorexia? Help for Anorexia Natural Herbal and Homeopathic Remedies Disorders that May be Related to Anorexia Tips for Coping with Anorexia Tips for Concerned Parents Related Natural Remedies
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What causes eating disorders? The development of an eating disorder is multifactoral, says Barbara Alderete, LCSW, LPC, LMFT, an eating disorder therapist at Texas Health Springwood Hospital. There seems to be a genetic component, a psychological personality pattern component, and the experience of trauma or abuse during childhood. Also, family dynamics and the culture are a big factor. Participation in programs or activities that may emphasize body type, such as cheerleading, gymnastics, dancing, running, acting, modeling, may also be associated. One of the biggest risk factors is dieting during the teen years. Texas Health Resources www.TexasHealth.org 1-877-THR-WELL
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Treatment Plans and Interventions for Bulimia and Binge-Eating Disorder (Treatment Plans and Interventions for Evidence-Based Psychotherapy)

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by part two

 What does it mean to be “nourished?” To many, the idea of nourishment is associated with the provision of sustenance to the body, mainly in the form of food and water. Such a Westernized conceptualization ignores the fact that one’s mind, spirit and body all need to be nourished in order to survive and thrive. The mind, body, and spirit are intimately connected, and an individual must provide nourishment to all aspects of the self to attain feelings of being alive and full. Spirituality is not a unitary concept. Rather, it encompasses three aspects. Spirituality on an individual level relates to the connection with one’s inner self, that is, how one nourishes their own individual soul and fulfills their life and universal purpose. However, this inner spirituality needs to arise in conjunction with a spiritual connection to others, satisfying the human need for interpersonal relationships, as well as a larger ‘cosmic’ spirituality that bring awareness to and links us to the greater universe we are a part of. This process is slow, and the journey towards a sense of spiritual fullness can span decades and lifetimes. This article will explore the journey an eating disordered individual takes when developing her mind, body, and spirit, and the role eating disorders may play in understanding one’s greater purpose in life and learning how to achieve true and long lasting nourishment.  

One may often ask, “Why did I get an eating disorder?” What many don’t realize is that eating disorders are not random unfortunate occurrences but in fact have a purpose. In many instances, the eating disorder is symbolic of a difficulty in finding other more satiating ways to deal with important needs and emotional issues, some of which may not be accessible to awareness. As well, eating disordered clients typically will be resistant to giving up their eating disordered behaviour because they believe it makes them exceptional and unique, providing an identity when they are confused about their own.  In this sense, the eating disorder serves as a mask while an individual attempts to figure out their own true identity and purpose in life, covering a true hunger for meaning about where one belongs. When individuals are ready to confront these underlying issues, they first need to recognize, confront, and heal their eating disordered behaviours by re-feeding and slowly re-nourishing their mind. Working with a therapist aware of the role that an eating disorder plays in self-transformation, one is provided with the opportunity to learn how to feel ‘full’ in their mental and spiritual lives as well. It can be very scary for an individual to accept and acknowledge their spirituality, because it means confronting greater issues about death and the cycle of life. From this standpoint, an eating disorder is a transition point on a spiritual quest, serving as a catalyst to explore what one needs to feel fulfilled in their mind and spirit. As the following case study shows, the better question to ask is, “How can I learn and grow from my eating disorder?”

Jennifer was a white, well-educated, upper class young woman who battled with anorexia for seven years. In her work in therapy, she was at first indignant to the idea that there was more to her eating disorder than counting calories and wanting to ‘lose 5 pounds.’ Over the next couple of years, we worked on both the physical and emotional components of her eating issues, endeavouring to understand the goals underlying her eating disordered behaviour. In this case, Jennifer’s eating disorder was a way for her to regulate her internal emotional state, that is, the anxiety associated with experiencing feelings that scared her and that she didn’t understand. By controlling her food intake, she was able to focus on something else besides how she felt lost in the world and didn’t know where she fit in. By remaining extremely thin, she felt as if she could remain like a little girl and thus avoid having to confront her true purpose in life. Using therapeutic techniques meant specifically to reconnect the mind and body and spirit, including Reiki, Yoga and other body oriented therapies that will be described in more detail below, Jennifer not only returned to a healthy body weight, but also realized the importance of nourishing her mind and spirit, and learned to experience and accept her emotions without resorting to eating disordered behaviour as a coping mechanism. By exploring the issues pertaining to why she started restricting her food intake, she came to the realization that she maintained her physical hunger as a way to maintain congruence with her more intense spiritual hunger. Through meditation, Jennifer became aware that the way to attain inner spiritual nourishment was to strengthen her spiritual connection with others. She realized her purpose in life was to help other people with eating disorders, and that her own eating issues would enable her to understand and truly help others who also felt lost in their bodies or present lives. Jennifer has begun to help others on the path to healing, and no longer feeling starved spiritually, has been able to maintain her recovery.

How can other individuals, like Jennifer, learn to re-connect their mind, body, and spirit? There are a multitude of experiential therapeutic techniques, many of which can be used in combination, that can help an individual to heal their body and to grow spiritually. The therapist in these situations can serve as the individual’s healer and spiritual community, helping to engender feelings of connection with another being and gently guiding the client to her own mindfulness and spiritual awareness.

 It has been widely noted across multiple psychological orientations, including Adlerian psychology, that one’s early developmental experiences play a critical role in how an individual forms internalized perceptions of the self and others. These early relationship experiences remain with us as we further develop into adulthood, and become the basis of the internal scripts that we use to guide our thoughts and behaviours in our daily lives, particularly in our interactions with others. For example, an individual who had self-critical and restricting parents would mistakenly learn from this relationship that she is constantly being judged and is inferior and undeserving. As we react in response to our environment, such a perception may be internalized, with the individual coming to believe that she is not worthwhile and does not deserve to feel “full,” and may aim to restrict herself in any way she can. This perspective will later be played out externally, fuelling maladaptive and destructive life goals, by being self-critical and engaging in restricting towards the self. Not only do such developmental experiences make one feel worthless and unloved, but also will likely precipitate eating disordered behaviour.

Psychodrama is an ‘action’ oriented technique developed by J.L. Moreno. Its main tenets involve the therapeutic re-enactment and role playing of influential and important ‘scenes,’ or events in an individual’s life, rather than only talking about them. For example, early aversive parental experiences may be re-enacted, highlighting the influence of interpersonal relationships in one’s life and the thought and belief patterns arising from such interactions. Props may be used to facilitate these mini-dramas, and empty chairs may also be used to represent people to whom the client needs to express herself. Such techniques help an individual step back from the salient scene and take the perspective of an observer, which often can provide more insight.By acting out in psychodrama, an arena for one’s internal dramas can be brought to consciousness and expressed in the external world, bringing to awareness underlying reasons for one’s thoughts and actions and correcting psychologically disruptive and/or mistaken internalizations and beliefs. In this sense, psychodrama can be a means to spontaneously and creatively express one’s emotions, inner voice and to tell one’s life story, in addition to expressing any desires, fears, and deeper questions. The use of the body in psychodrama to relay one’s inner world can help to connect the mind and body, and can provide a cathartic release of physical and emotional tension. Psychodrama is advantageous because it can be done in both an individual and group setting, which can help an individual feel supported. This provides an opportunity to connect spiritually with other people and to view one’s experiences from another perspective. In short, psychodrama can help an individual to recognize their feelings and give meaning to their internal experiences in a more concrete and reality-oriented form.

None the less, it is important to recognize that some individuals experiencing an eating disorder will have issues verbalizing their emotions in psychodrama. Thus, it may be beneficial to explore other art forms, like painting and sculpture, that can express thoughts and feelings in images and symbols rather than words. Additionally, based on the premise that adaptations in bodily movement impact emotional and physical well-being, dance or movement therapy could also be used to bring an energized awareness to the experiences of the body that have emotional valence.Such techniques allow an individual to non-verbally symbolize their life journey and experiences and work to liberate one from their psychological distress. Regardless of the medium used, the important idea is that a creative experiential process is initiated. Summoning our creative potential and using our bodies and mind in an interconnected way can help us to move towards spiritual grounding by reconnecting us with the intangible creative force that controls and moves the universe.

While psychodrama can work to establish and nourish a stronger mind-body connection in an eating

EDNOS: Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified: Scientific and Clinical Perspectives on the Other Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified covers all eating disorders that do not fall into either of the two main diagnostic groups: anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Although these less well known conditions are common and can be very severe, they are often neglected.

This book brings together contributions from many of the leading researchers and practitioners in the field of eating disorders and presents the topic of EDNOS from a range of perspectives including the clinical, the epidemiological, the nosological, the biological and the trans-cultural.

This comprehensive summary of the subject of EDNOS demonstrates that by investigating the nature, cause and treatment of these disorders, we can throw light on the classification and nature of eating disorders as a whole. It will be of great interest to all professionals in the field of eating disorders.

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Price: $ 56.40

EDNOS: Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified

Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified covers all eating disorders that do not fall into either of the two main diagnostic groups: anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Although these less well known conditions are common and can be very severe, they are often neglected.

This book brings together contributions from many of the leading researchers and practitioners in the field of eating disorders and presents the topic of EDNOS from a range of perspectives including the clinical, the epidemiological, the nosological, the biological and the trans-cultural.

This comprehensive summary of the subject of EDNOS demonstrates that by investigating the nature, cause and treatment of these disorders, we can throw light on the classification and nature of eating disorders as a whole. It will be of great interest to all professionals in the field of eating disorders.

Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified covers all eating disorders that do not fall into either of the two main diagnostic groups: anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Although these less well known conditions are common and can be very severe, they are often neglected.

This book brings together contributions from many of the leading researchers and practitioners in the field of eating disorders and presents the topic of EDNOS from a range of perspectives including the clinical, the epidemiological, the nosological, the biological and the trans-cultural.

This comprehensive summary of the subject of EDNOS demonstrates that by investigating the nature, cause and treatment of these disorders, we can throw light on the classification and nature of eating disorders as a whole. It will be of great interest to all professionals in the field of eating disorders.

List Price: $ 52.95

Price:

by Rega Photography

An eating disorder can prove to be fatal if left untreated. It is so important for someone with an eating disorder to receive treatment. There are several ways in which someone can receive eating disorder treatment. Thousands of people who have suffered from an eating disorder have recovered with the help of eating disorder treatment. Recovery is a process that one must go through in order to become healthy again.

Eating disorder treatment will look into many different areas of an eating disorder. When an individual receives eating disorder treatment that individual will find out what caused or triggered their eating disorder to start. This is one of the most important phases of eating disorder treatment. For a person to recover from an eating disorder one has to know the underlying causes.

There are several eating disorder treatment options that one can choose from. The Internet is a plethora of information on eating disorder treatment programs. Before you start to look into eating disorder treatment programs you may want to find out more information on eating disorders, the symptoms of eating disorders and what types of sources provide eating disorder treatment.

If you feel that you may have an eating disorder you want to start receiving treatment right away. Eating disorder treatment is the path to a new life and a new life. The benefits of eating disorder treatment include a healthier lifestyle, a positive body image, an increase in self-esteem and happiness. Eating disorder treatment leads to a brighter future.

If an individual does not receive eating disorder treatment then the consequences can be severe. An eating disorder, depending on the type, can cause damage to a person’s vital organs. Plus if an eating disorder reaches a critical stage a person can die from their body shutting down. Eating disorder treatment can prevent an individual from having to suffer from the consequences and negative cycle of an eating disorder.

Types of eating disorder treatment include receiving therapy or going to meetings with an eating disorder support group. Other resources where one can receive eating disorder treatment include staying at a treatment center that helps individuals who suffer from an eating disorder or joining an online community.

These are just a few venues in which a person can receive eating disorder treatment. You should learn more about eating disorders, the causes of eating disorders, signs and symptoms and ways to receive eating disorder treatment. Eating disorder treatment is the road to a happier and healthier life.

More information you can find in: http://emotional-eating.org

THIN, directed by Lauren Greenfield and distributed by HBO, is an exploration of The Renfrew Center in Coconut Creek, Florida; a 40-bed residential facility for the treatment of women with eating disorders. The film mostly revolves around four women with anorexia nervosa and/or bulimia and their struggles for recovery.

Find More Eating Disorders Articles

by Scrunchleface

Eating disorder symptoms should be taken seriously. The symptoms listed below are not for self-diagnosis. However, if you find you have any of these symptoms, please see a doctor for a diagnosis. They are signs that something else underneath needs attention.

Even if you have not developed a full blown eating disorder, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get help. Don’t be embarrassed to seek help even if your symptoms seem minor. They can develop into more something more serious very quickly.

These symptoms are difficult to tackle, so please don’t try to do it alone. They can become severe and even fatal. The more serious your symptoms are, the more serious danger is present for your health and well being. Get help now. There are several types of treatment options available. Above all, consider allowing God to help you. He understands your symptoms more than anyone, and He also understands you and what you need more than anyone. He stands ready to help and heal you.

Anorexia Symptoms

Behavioral symptoms of anorexia

Restricting food intake or even starving oneself
Exercising excessively
Preoccupation with food
Eating only safe foods
Rigid eating rituals
Social withdrawal
Intense fear of gaining weight
Lack of emotion
Obsession with weight
Obsession with counting calories
Negative or distorted body image
Perfectionistic tendencies
Loss of sexual desire
Depression
Low opinion of self
Taking diet pills

Physical symptoms of anorexia

Thinness
Dizziness or fainting
Constipation
Abdominal pain
Menstrual irregularities
Dry skin
Low blood pressure
Dehydration
Irregular heart rhythms
Frequently being cold
Soft, downy hair on the body
Fatigue
Brittle nails
Hair that thins, breaks or falls out
Insomnia

Bulimia Symptoms

Behavioral symptoms of bulimia

Exercising excessively
Use of laxatives or enemas
Self-induced vomiting
Going to the bathroom during or after meals
Constant dieting or fasting
Hiding food to consume later
Low opinion of self
Depression
Insomnia
Negative or distorted body image
Obsession with weight
Repeatedly eating large amounts of sweet or high-fat foods
Feeling out of control of eating behavior

Physical symptoms of bulimia

Abnormal bowel functioning
Damaged teeth and gums
Dehydration
Irregular heartbeat
Menstrual irregularities
Swollen salivary glands in the cheeks
Sores in the throat and mouth
Sores, scars or calluses on the knuckles or hands
Constipation
Incontinence

Binge Eating Disorder Symptoms

Behavioral symptoms of binge eating disorder

Fear of not being able to control eating or of not being able to stop
Fear of eating in the presence of others
Eating to the point of discomfort or pain
Eating faster during binge episodes
Feeling life will be better if weight loss occurs
Hoarding food for consumption later
Always trying diet plans
Secretive eating patterns
Getting down on oneself after eating
Blame failures on weight
Believing food is one’s only friend

Physical symptoms of binge eating disorder

Weight gain
Leg and joint pain
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Loss of sexual desire
Excessive sweating
Shortness of breath
Decreased mobility
Insomnia
Depression
Fatigue
Mood swings

EDNOS (Eating Disorders not Otherwise Specified) Symptoms

The symptoms of EDNOS can vary from one person to another
An individual with EDNOS may have many of the same symptoms as someone with anorexia
An individual with EDNOS may have many of the same symptoms as someone with bulimia
While the symptoms of EDNOS can vary a lot, it is just as serious as anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder
EDNOS, just like other related disorders, can seriously damage one’s health

by lynnefeatherstone

Introduction

This article examines the rise of eating disorder websites. Eating disorders are most common in young women (both teenagers and young adults). As this demographic is a also known as a high-level user of the Internet, the proliferation of online eating disorder (ED) communities is of particular concern to ED support groups (ANAD 2006). Eating disorder communities are known a ‘Pro-Ana’, (pro-anorexic) and it is the term used both for their community and to describe an individual. While Pro-Ana is used to describe a person who is ‘pro-anorexic’, Bulimics use the term Pro-Mia (pro-bulimic). In this definition, people who identify as ‘Pro-Anorexic’ or ‘Pro-Bulimic’ embrace their eating disorder and generally consider it a lifestyle choice and not an illness or disorder. Pro-Ana communities are not generally limited to anorexics and generally include bulimics and other eating disorder sufferers within the community.

Pro-Ana websites represent themselves as online communities for those who are existing Anorexics and as such are not intended (as is frequently assumed), to lure non-sufferers into the illness. To the people who join them, they can be ‘a place’ that accepts their status without moral censure or social stigma as well as a site of advice, tips and support from fellow anorexics to help them become ‘better’ anorexics. While some of the Pro-Ana sites will also provide links to recovery and health sites, being ‘Pro-Ana’ symbolises a choice not to go into recovery. For pro-Anorexics, if you identify as ‘Pro-Ana’, then by definition you have chosen to live as an Anorexic or Bulimic at this point in time. The term ‘permarexic’ can also be used to describe those people who choose to live with their ED for the foreseeable future.

Eating Disorders Overview

Eating disorders (EDs) are characterised by a preoccupation with weight that results in severe disturbances in eating and subsequently other behaviours. Eating disorders embrace Anorexia, Bulimia and generic eating disorders such as purging, binging and night eating. The two most high profile eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Anorexia can be defined as essentially self-starvation, as this disorder involves a refusal to maintain a minimally normal body weight, a distorted body image and a fear of obesity or weight-gain (CEED 2006). People who have Anorexia generally develop unusual eating habits such as avoiding food and meals, picking out a few foods and eating them in small amounts, weighing their food, and counting the calories of everything they eat. Its incidence is increasing in the Western world and it has been described as one of the most lethal psychiatric disorders (Lucas et al 1999 in Hsu 2001). Sufferers of Bulimia are involved in repeated episodes of binge eating, followed by ways of trying to purge the food from the body to prevent expected weight gain by utilising methods such as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, enemas, or medications fasting, and/or excessive exercise to control weight (CEED 2006).

Common Aspects of a Pro-Ana Website

In order to research this article, I had to spend some time following dead links and doing diligent searching until I came across some functioning sites that catered to existing eating disorder sufferers. The nature of the public’s attitude towards many of these sites is such that they must change addresses constantly to avoid censure, or close voluntarily as a result of harassment and flaming, or are being arbitrarily closed down by their ISPs. The Pro-Ana communities manage to stay alive by frequently changing site addresses and communicating new web addresses within their community group.

Diaries: Many author’ of these websites offer personal accounts of their battle with anorexia or bulimia and how they struggle with starvation, how they feel about their body image and how they wrestle with taking control of themselves and their self-image. While the intention of some may well be to inspire weight loss among the website readers, the constant struggle and self loathing and self-castigation of the writers does not make Anorexia or Bulimia appear at all attractive. The diaries are also places to keep logs of food intake as well as ‘vent’ about unwelcome attempts by family members or friends to make the blogger recover from the disease, or the struggles she has in hiding her lack of eating from the rest of the world.

Discussion Forums: So that members can discuss their eating, their weight and their feelings. The forums act as both a source of dietary information and dieting support as well as somewhere to share their feelings and disclose in a non-judgemental environment. I observed the members to be very supportive and protective of each other.

Weight Loss Tools: Such BMI (Body mass index) calculators, homeopathic remedies and pharmaceutical pills. However, a search of Google on any given day will reveal similar information on many sites unrelated to Pro-Ana.

Food and Beverage Hints: Glycemic counters, calorie counters, lists of foods that are of negative calorie value, recipes for drinks and foods. In fact, all the things you can buy in the average women’s or girls’ magazine at your local newsagent.

A Recovery Room: a discussion forum specifically for recovering eating disorder sufferers. I only found this on a handful of sites.

The more militant Pro-Ana websites would typically contain some of these additional attributes:

Tips and Tricks: Mostly a list of methods, tricks and hints on how to make the process of starvation easier. It may give hints on hiding weight loss from relatives and how to pass weekly weigh-ins if parents make a teenager go to a nutritionist or counsellor. These lists may also contain explicit details on how to vomit after meals with the least amount of discomfort or on what to take to make the vomiting occur more quickly, as well as listing which foods are easiest to purge. This section will also contain tips for ways of avoiding eating and not getting caught (e.g. get up early and rinse cereal and milk around in a bowl and leave in the sink so your parents think you ate before them).

Thinspiration does exactly what the name implies: inspire readers to be thin, achieving this through pictures of unhealthily skinny models and movie stars. Favourites are pictures of young celebrity role models, including teen stars Lindsay Lohan, Mischa Barton and Nicole Ritchie. Thinspiration may also include articles on being fat, famous people’s height and weight, and triggering quotations such as ‘Nothing tastes as good as thin feels’, or ‘Food hinders progress’. Some Pro-Ana websites also encourage the use of a personal ‘Thinspiration book’ to always carry around as a means of remembrance when the person cannot be near a computer or they suggest the wearing of bracelets to signify the particular eating disorder and remind the wearer of her status (red for example signifies Anorexia and purple Bulilmia). The less militant sites do not contain ‘Thinspiration’ and may also ban tips and caution users that they will be banned if they give tips on vomiting, hiding their food, etc. In addition, they may also provide more information available on related areas of danger such as dental problems, heart disease and diabetes as potentially dangerous to ED sufferers.

Ana is my ‘Friend’

The Pro-Anorexia websites are able to provide eating disorder experts unprecedented insights into the world of their patients, revealing an obsession with the disease that may surprise even the most veteran eating disorder observers. For example in some cases, the younger sufferers can be observed to personalise their illness and naming her “Ana” (or “Mia” for girls with symptoms of bulimia), and some girls even worship her as a type of ‘deity’:

I tried to recover once & I gained so much weight so my savior mia came back to rescue me just when i needed it most (Anon Bulimic)Pro-Ana Websites and Support

I found there to be degrees of Pro-Ana websites. While some did not acknowledge the possibility of recovery, others recognised that some sufferers wish to recover from their illness and as such focussed on support and community rather than dieting tips. In this way they provide an important forum for what can be both a marginalised and misunderstood segment of society. For young girls that suffer social stigma and misunderstanding of their eating disorder illness, simply being able to communicate with others who share their problems can be a huge relief:

I am an active bulimic, and I know I would be in serious trouble right now if I wasn’t in contact with other mias/anas through the sites I’ve been on. It’s really necessary to get your thoughts and feelings out somehow, and the sites are a great way to do that… (Anon Bulimic) I think that to take these sites away would be removing a valuable support network that we need to carry on, not with our disease, but with our lives. Most of these people cannot get support from family or friends, and these sites are where they go to talk about what they are going through freely, without being judged (Anon EdNOS Sufferer).However it is precisely this aspect of community and belonging and how it interfaces with an eating disorder that worries some experts. Pro-Ana communities may in this instance be unintentionally encouraging the eating disorder as they provide an environment and opportunity to belong to the “eating disorder club”. Other experts concur, arguing that these ‘pro’ eating disorder websites are potentially deadly, because they normalise and affirm the very behaviour that

by Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

Most people can find something on their body that they are not happy with. Very few of us are able to look in a full-length mirror and not cringe at one body part or another that is the bane of our existence. However, if you are obsessed with the way your body looks or your own weight, you may find it helpful to find out how to know you have an eating disorder.

If you find yourself compulsively looking in the mirror at your body or thinking about how much you weigh on a regular basis, you may have an eating disorder. Also, if you begin to restrict your diet severely, you can suffer from malnutrition, and you may need to seek professional help. Here are a few more ways that you can determine whether or not you may have an eating disorder:

- Make an honest assessment of your thoughts. Do you find yourself thinking about food an awful lot, as in what you will eat, how many calories each food contains, or when you will eat during the day? Think about how you feel about your own body and your personal weight. Are you ashamed of your current weight? Do you feel that everyone else thinks that you are overweight? Do you get angry with yourself after you eat? Are you guilty or ashamed after you’ve eaten? If you are answering yes to many of these questions, you may have an eating disorder.

- Analyze your recent actions and behaviors. Do you avoid eating meals in front of other people because you are afraid of what they may think of your strange eating habits? Have you avoided attending events, social get together, or functions because of the possibility that food will be involved? Think about the past and how it relates to the present. Have you changed the amount of food and how many times you eat a day recently? Do you exercise more than the average person would consider normal? Do you get enough sleep at night, at least six to eight hours? Are you taking laxatives or diuretics on a regular basis?

- Consider how others feel about your habits. Think about your family and friends. Have they been concerned about your eating habits lately? Are your friends and family always encouraging you to eat more? If others are concerned that you may have an eating disorder, you should be very honest with yourself and think about whether their feelings are unfounded. The people who care about you the most are the ones whose opinions you should value the most, as well.

Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia are difficult to admit to having. You may feel embarrassed to claim these eating disorders. Admitting that you are starving yourself and not eating enough, or that you are binging on foods and then vomiting to rid yourself of the unwanted calories, is not an easy task. You should talk to someone that you trust, whether it is a close friend, family member, or a qualified professional. The odds are that if you are taking this assessment, you probably have an eating disorder.

Just talking about eating disorders and how much it sucks to be a food addict, a bulimic, or a anorexic.