Eating disorders affect nearly 11 million men and women in the United States and there is a low rate of recovery. In recent years, the Internet has given people with anorexia and other eating disorders a venue for sharing dieting and exercise tips, photos journals of weight loss and a place to blog about their "successes" and "failures".
Web pages devoted to this sort of blogging are referred to as pro-ana or thinspiration sites. The sites have come under sharp criticism as promoting self-harm and as a result have been blocked from social media formats like Photobucket, Tumblr and Pinterest. Now, a new study is suggesting that these blog sites are not as dangerous as many had feared.
Research conducted through Indiana University went straight to those engaged in pro-ana blogging to find out why eating disordered people participate in this type of social media and how it affects them. The study’s lead author is well known for her examination of how social media is used by isolated individuals. In this case, the researchers contacted 300 pro-ana bloggers from around the world. Just over 30 bloggers living in seven different countries responded. The vast majority of respondents were from the United States and all were women.
Survey responses indicated that most bloggers are looking for a place where someone will understand them and their choices. The number one motive expressed was that these sites provided individuals with a non-judgmental social connection. Eating disorders are a mental illness and, like other mental illnesses, are often stigmatized. Friends and family members understandably express dismay, concern and disapproval. The person with an eating disorder is looking for a community of others with whom they can relate.
Some bloggers said that writing about their illness actually helped to cheer them and many felt that writing was, in some way, cathartic. While individuals were afraid that their true identity might somehow be discovered, they also said that they felt free to express their true thoughts and feelings on such sites. Researchers in the study conceded that content on these sites is troubling but suggested that perhaps the support and sense of community gained could be a positive thing. While not claiming that blogging is necessarily helpful toward recovery, they did wonder if the sites provide a needed outlet until the individual is prepared to seek professional treatment.
Respondents in the study did admit that these sites also have a downside. Without question, the blog content reinforces potentially deadly behaviors and could encourage young girls to enter into disordered eating.
People with anorexia severely restrict their caloric intake and experience up to a 60 percent loss in body weight. Such extreme losses lead to a range of other health issues. This is why eating disorders are fatal for close to half of all who suffer with the condition. The study is unique in its suggestion that these blog-sites, while not curative, may help to prolong lives.