But the health risks of these websites and blogs are real. “These sites are dangerous,” says Dr. Doug Bunnell, director of outpatient clinical services at The Renfrew Center, which runs several treatment centers for eating disorders across the U.S. “If the site says eating disorders are a choice, then you’re getting information that is out of date, wrong and potentially dangerous.”
And there is no doubt that anorexia and bulimia carry serious health risks. In anorexia, “medically, their body starts to shut down,” says Bunnell. “Their brain shrinks, hair starts to grow all over the body in order to conserve heat, and their body stops developing bone mass, which is a big risk factor for osteoporosis.” Regular vomiting can even cause the esophagus to rupture. In some unfortunate cases, it can be fatal. To add to the complexity, Bunnell says, “people with other psychiatric issues like depression or anxiety, or those who have a history of psychological trauma such as abuse, are at increased risk.”
“The eating disorder becomes a chronic condition; the average recovery from onset of treatment for anorexia is between four and seven years,” says Bunnell.
Most of these sites are written by young women with eating disorders for young women with eating disorders. Some allow members to create profiles with pictures and biographical information; but instead of a self-portrait, most profiles use images of shrinking celebrities. Kate Moss, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Nicole Richie are used as “thinspiration.” One member even uses an image of a girl hunched over a toilet for her profile picture along with the mantra, “nothing tastes as good as being thin.”
