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"I am a counselor and I recently referred a client to the Eating Disorder Center of Denver. I appreciated the staff’s professionalism as well as their willingness to keep me updated. It appears the staff at EDC-D focuses on collaboration, which is vital for a client’s successful recovery. In the future, I will definitely be referring my client’s to this facility."

- Megan West, Counseling with Care, LLC

Pro-Anorexia and Pro-Bulimia Websites Send Lethal Message to Viewers

Visiting sites may be damaging to individuals with eating disorders

DENVER – Oct. 27, 2010 – Websites that promote anorexia and bulimia, or pro-ana and pro-mia sites as they are respectively known, are growing in popularity and present a dangerous glamorization of eating disordered behavior. The sites provide visitors with unhealthy weight loss tips, life threatening “diet secrets” and beautify pictures of deathly ill people. The websites allow users to share tips with one another and build a community around supporting and encouraging eating disorders.

“The sites send a message that disordered eating is positive, when eating disorders are life threatening,” said Eve Wood, M.D., medical director at the Eating Disorder Center of Denver. “Talking about the negative effect these sites can have on individuals is an important step in putting an end to pro-ana and pro-mia sites.”

While existence of such sites is not new, with the prevalence of social networking, their popularity among those vulnerable to the message is growing. Individuals with eating disorders often feel isolated in their disease, but these sites offer companionship and encouragement. The sites are very dangerous and threaten the lives of individuals with eating disorders.

Despite the volatility of impressionable minds to the messages on the pro-ana and pro-mia sites, there are steps everyone can take to manage the impact they can have. Steps include:

• Encourage family dinners in your home. This will allow parents to be more aware of eating habits and feelings surrounding food.
• Educate children about healthy eating and positive body image
• Decrease emphasis on weight around family and friends
• Encourage positive body images by speaking positively about self and others
• Monitor children’s activity on the web and talk openly about any sites of concern

The Eating Disorder Center of Denver can help those with concerns about pro-ana or pro-mia sites. For details on EDCD’s treatment program or advice on websites usage please call 303-771-0861, visit edcdenver.com, follow us on Twitter @EDCDenver or find us on Facebook.

About Eating Disorder Center of Denver
Established in 2001, Eating Disorder Center of Denver (EDCD) is one of the nation's foremost centers for the diagnosis and treatment of the full range of eating disorders. EDCD is committed to empowering individuals 18 years of age and older suffering with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and related disorders to help them achieve and sustain recovery. A multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, physicians, clinicians, family therapists and registered dietitians work together to create a specialized, evidence-based treatment plan for each patient. For additional information about EDCD, visit www.edcdenver.com or call 303-771-0861.

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