Exposing thought and beliefs to the light of day has to be good. Suppression of ideas doesn't work. Force does not work. Control of others free will does not work.
The Internet is an opportunity for a voluntary honest dialogue between patient and doctor for true healing, not coerced healing. If the psychiatrist can make any argument other than swallow these magical chemicals.

Thank you for raising this Philip. I have to write about it because of the title of my blog but I still haven't made a research to understand what kind of eating disorder is this.
In Orkut, Brazilian most accessed social networking, it's very clear that there are two kinds of anorexia:
- one that is caused by the fashion. Top models starves themselves and say they eat everything and are used to have cocaine to take the hard work.
So teenagers want to be as skinny as possible;

- anorexia caused by any emotional problem.

They are very different and I'm sure whatever the reason it is not the way to deal with it.
Just like banning self-harm from social networking didn't. They created another way of community and I've spend 7 months trying to talk to them. They refused.
Just those who wanted to stop started trying not to cut themselves and when they relapsed they felt deeply guilty.
"Pro-eating websites" looks like a joke when one is dealing with this issue.

There are bars on every street corner which most recovering alcoholic avoid. Addicts who stay clean don't generally hang out with their old druggie buds.

In the end, it's up to each of us to decide if we want to clean up our act. If we do, we have to make a commitment to avoid what the Catholics call "a near occasion of sin" and the "people, places and" well, something third thing I can't recall that the AA folks talk about.

I used to cut myself, to relieve my intense inner pain. I stopped the moment someone explained to me that I was "removing myself from treatment" (I was in a nuthouse at the time). It was a matter of understanding you can only go in one direction at a time.

We are, not only what we eat, but what we feed. This is an individual choice. I think the energy, money and time anyone would spend chasing down internet sites (I'm sure teenage girls are capable of teaching one another about proxy servers) would be far better spent providing some helpful treatment (assuming there is such a thing).

I've always felt the pro-ana websites are super creepy, but I don't think they talk anyone INTO anorexia, mainly just appeal to those who are already anorexic to keep up the game. If those sites are banned, there are always other ways. At the Stanford Center, the girls were always hyper-competitve with each other around not gaining weight, it was like a game to them.

And around here, they've started giving Anorexics Zyprexa in order to facilitate eating and weight gain.

Okay, you know what, this is ridiculous.
Pro-Ana does not mean we are encouraging people to be anorexic. We aren't even encouraging people who are already anorexic to be MORE anorexic. It is a SUPPORT SITE. ALL of the sites encourage others to follow their hearts and what they want, but offer SUPPORT. MANY of the girls on Pro-ana/mia sites and forums go to recovery, or self-recover, and count on us not to let them relapse. The ones who don't want to recover post there, and we give them advice. If they say they want to start a month long fast, we say DON'T DO IT. If they want to fast for a week, we say, BE CAREFUL, AND DON'T OVERDO IT. We don't say "Have a BMI of 15." We say "BE HAPPY."
You can't shut them down. And even if you could, you know what would happen? Suicide rates would go up. I've seen many girls say that if they didn't have the sites, they would kill themselves. We don't encourage the "wannarexics." We don't promote anorexia, even. We just need people who understand and can help us...

Wow, zyprexa to encourage weight gain. Way to change behavior!! If they're going to give people a pill for that, it should be Remeron. Still many dangerous endocrinological side effects, but fewer, and it makes you want to eat like a horse.

Just being sarcastic.

I'm on the fence about censoring these sites. I'm a total free-speech advocate, but we're talking about kids here and perhaps these sites should be blocked or blockable for people under 18.

Alixandriana,
Thank you for the explanation.
I believe that the real pro-ana site are hard to find because there are many sites that claims to be pro-ana but when you visit they are sites talking about anorexia.
I have already seen communities in social networkings with girls helping each other not to eat.
Please you don't need to be angry with people here.
Take a look to see what people are doing.
We are at the same side.
Thank you.
Ana (this is my real name and I have already received comments from people thinking my blog is Pro-ana, so I understand why you are angry.)

Alixandriana,
Yes, thank you for speaking up. Lots of us here have received little or not help (or worse) from our Designated Helpers. In the end, a lot of us are on our own. This may not be a bad thing, though. It seems that for many groups of people (Viet Nam vets, incest survivors, alcoholics, etc.) finding our own solutions work best.

I totally agree that telling someone what they should or shouldn't do is often (usually?) futile. What each of us need to do--or avoid doing--to recover or grow is a personal choice.

Just imagine having to eat platefuls of nasty hospital food to prove you're well and to get out? If you're a picky eater you're doubly screwed.

Over all such communities provide support and a place to bond. The good out weighs the bad. While there's a point where weight becomes unhealthy overall "average" is still fat/overweight.

Who's to say that what is a worthy to be banned site? A site promoting interracial relationships would have been illegal, as would sites promoting homosexuality. See the dangers of playing morality censor? Or should we ban sites that promote smoking and smokers, cause after all aren't they are hurting their body and need help to stop...even if you don't want to and it makes you feel good....

Interracial relationships and homosexuality are not illegal.
I don't think that what is at stake here is morality.
It's worse: the word "anorexia" has united many kinds of eating disorders.
One step to call it a disease that needs to be treated with psych-drugs.
Some of them could, those who make gain weight, would apparently cure the disease when the contrary would be the outcome: side effects seen as diseases... we all know the story.