Doctors call for crackdown on pro-anorexia websites

Published on Thursday 17 September 2009 22:05

DOCTORS are calling for a crackdown on pro-eating-disorder websites to protect vulnerable girls from starving themselves.

The rise in so-called "pro-ana" (pro-anorexia) and "pro-mia" (pro-bulimia) sites has soared among the online social networking generation.

Now the Royal College of Psychiatrists has called on the government to do more to address the dangers and to keep young people safe online.

They also urged the fashion industry to take a lead in promoting a wider range of body images to reverse the fad to look like ultra-skinny celebrities, such as Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham.

Research has shown young women exposed to pro-ana websites had lower self-esteem, perceived themselves as heavier and were more likely to compare their bodies with those of other women.

Professor Ulrike Schmidt, who chairs the college's eating disorders section, said: "Pro-ana and pro-mia websites advocate anorexia nervosa or bulimia as a lifestyle choice, rather than as serious mental disorder. Even for healthy young women, viewing such websites induces low mood, low self-esteem and increased body dissatisfaction."