Londons Fashion Week opens today. And as it reignites the debate over too-thin models, the Royal College of Psychiatrists is asking the British government to do something about pro-anorexia websites.

A Sept. 17 Reuters article provided the following information about the effort to regulate or eradicate websites that encourage the unhealthy eating practices that can lead to eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder:

Encouraged by social networking sites like Facebook and "thinspiration" Web sites, growing numbers of Britons are looking online to get tips on how to starve themselves or hide extreme weight loss, says the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

"(These) Web sites normalize illness," said Ulrike Schmidt, chair of the college's eating disorders section.

The report calls on the government to tackle the proliferation of pro-eating disorder sites as part of its wider efforts to safeguard children on the Internet through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS).

Nearly 90 percent of eating disorder sufferers in Britain are teenage girls, and experts report that one in 10 repeatedly visit pro-eating disorder websites.

Labels: pro-ana, online, pro-mia, websites

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A few years ago, Rachel Johnston thought the eating disorder organization B-eat was the enemy. When her mom posted questions to the online forum, Rachel told her she was being brainwashed. What Rachel didn’t realize – or refused to admit – was that she was the one being brainwashed – by an eating disorder that almost killed her.

“Her lowest point was in February 2009, when she decided enough was enough and took a cocktail of sleeping tablets and other drugs. Her weight plummeted for four-and-a-half stone [just over 60 pounds]. But now, more than a year after her last hospital stay, she is looking to the future.” - Source: Warrington (UK) Guardian

Today, Rachel is an ambassador for B-eat and spends her free time educating others about the signs and dangers of eating disorders. She admits that she hasn’t fully recovered yet, but she finally sees light at the end of the tunnel.

Labels: awareness, international, online, prevention

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