ARTICLE
Eating disorders on the Internet - description and overview of the phenomenon
More details
Hide details
Psychoter 2010;152(1):67-80
ABSTRACT
TThe article attempts to describe and provide an overview of the phenomenon of Internet support groups and quasi-support groups for people with eating disorders. Those suffering from eating problems can communicate with each other through various Internet message boards and websites. The content analysis of the eating disorders websites indicates that what they're often aimed for isn't providing support that can be beneficial to the health of the sufferers, but promoting eating disorders as a new lifestyle and building a community around the illness. Therapists observe that this phenomenon has negative influence on patients' motivation for therapy. In this article we aim at looking into the matter of the phenomenon of Internet websites promoting anorexia and bulimia nervosa, that is websites which are known as Pro-Ana and Pro-Mia, as well as OA (Overeaters Anonymous) promoting treatment of bulimia patterned after the addiction recovery programme.