My Video re: New Study: Pro-Ana Sites *HELP* Anorexics & Those w/ Other Eating Disorders?!

Published on Aug 24, 2012 by AnaGirlEmpath

A study published in "Health Communication" [professional journal] earlier this month indicates that ProAna Sites HELP many with eating disorders and may even be crucial in their path to recovery!
Much like the French-led ANAMIA Study did when published results showed evidence of positive outcomes in ProAna Community participation [and the U.S.-led Peebles and Wilson Study thereafter], this news is turning the world on it's head. The news stories are countless now: Every major agency has something to say about this groundbreaking new study.
The ProAna Movement has been a topic rife with high controversy since 2001, when the first wave of mass media attention -- and immediate, passionate, vehement condemnation -- began. Why the controversy? Until recently, the only studies conducted on ProAna Sites were in the form of content analysis. Front-page material has been erroneously interpreted by outsiders as being taken literally by participants in ProAna Communities. The Movement has been said to glorify and promote eating disorders; to recruit vulnerable youth to embracing ED's as a "Lifestyle"; denying that ED's are genuine illnesses; and/or denying that ED's are serious and Life-threatening. ED Awareness groups have adamantly opposed and campaigned hard to have such communities expunged from the Internet, alongside widespread Media condemnation. Such intense political pressure ultimately resulted in two waves of mass-censorship.
In 2008, France formally banned ProAna websites outright, imposing a steep fine and possible imprisonment of anyone found to own a ProAna Site. Here in the U.S., Facebook, Tumbler, Pinterest and similar social networking sites have implemented policies which ban ProAna content outright under the umbrella of "Self-Harm."
In recent years, more authentic data has been amassed -- rather than outsiders looking in, trying to make sense of the material found on these sites, those within such communities are speaking up; speaking out and sharing about the true meaning of the "Lifestyle" Anthem [written as an empowerment strategy and rejection of victim mentality in the face of a potent, insidious, devastating and incurable chronic illness; fatal in 20% of cases and VERY difficult to treat] and what ProAna is actually about [i,e., unconditional ED support outside of the rigid censorship seen in Conventional Recovery Communities].
So, what really goes on in ProAna Communities? Two notable studies preceded the one mentioned in this video: The Peebles and Wilson study here in the U.S., and the groundbreaking ANAMIA Study, conducted in France, which looked at Eurpoean ED sufferer experiences with ProAna support sites online. The evidence collected in the past few years clearly indicates that these communities are not the horrifying threat they were purported to be for the majority of the past decade -- and is actually *helping* people on the path to recovery.
FULL CITATION: http://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/ebm/record/22873763/full_citation/Comm...
Title Communicating Stigma: The Pro-Ana Paradox.
Author(s) Yeshua-Katz D, Martins N
Institution a Department of Telecommunications , Indiana University.
Source Health Commun 2012 Aug 8.
Abstract This study explores the personal experience of pro-ana bloggers, members of an online community for people with eating disorders. Using Erving Goffman's work on stigma, this study explores the motivations, benefits, and drawbacks of blogging about a stigmatized mental illness, as taken from the bloggers' own perceptive. We conducted 33 interviews with bloggers from seven different countries via phone, Skype, and e-mail. Participants were motivated to blog because they found social support, a way to cope with a stigmatized illness, and means of self-expression. Participants described blogging as a cathartic experience and perceived the social support they received from other members of the pro-ana community as a benefit. The fear that the eating disorder will be revealed if the blog is exposed and the concern that the blog encourages disordered eating were the perceived negative consequences of maintaining such a blog. Thus, blogging about anorexia serves to both alleviate and trigger anxiety about living with this stigmatized illness. Recommendations for future research are made.
Language ENG
Pub Type(s) JOURNAL ARTICLE
PubMed ID 22873763

LINK TO FULL IU INTERVIEW ARTICLE: http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/22967.html
IU researchers interview pro-anorexic bloggers for groundbreaking new study
Primary motivation of many was to seek social support and deal with stigma, not promote a 'lifestyle'

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 20, 2012

New Study: Pro-Ana Sites Actually HELP Participants!

8.20.12:  It is with great joy that I bring this news:  An Indiana University study published this month in Health Communications shows that participation in a ProAna Community actually *benefits* participants!  Those of us who are veterans of the Movement know this well, but this is a cause for celebration: At last, beneath the detritus of sensationalist media hype, the Voices of the Movement have been heard:  We are here to support one another in Living with ED's -- NOT to recruit, promote, deny or glorify pathology!

IU researchers interview pro-anorexic bloggers for groundbreaking new study

Primary motivation of many was to seek social support and deal with stigma, not promote a 'lifestyle'

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 20, 2012

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A groundbreaking new research study from Indiana University suggests there may be benefits to the controversial activities of "pro-ana" bloggers, the online community for people with eating disorders.

Most of the 33 bloggers from seven countries interviewed for the study, which has just been published in the journal Health Communication, said their writing activities provide a way to express themselves without judgment, which the authors believe can be crucial to their treatment.

"We don't know what are the effects of participating in this community on health," said Daphna Yeshua-Katz, a doctoral student in telecommunications in the IU College of Arts and Sciences. "But we do know that the current therapy for eating disorders is not effective."

"These communities are providing support, albeit supporting an illness that may result in someone's death," added Nicole Martins, an assistant professor of telecommunications at IU. "But until they're ready to go and seek recovery on their own terms, this might actually be a way of prolonging their life, so that they are mentally ready to tackle their recovery process.

"From the outside looking in, this looks like a really disturbing community, but I think that the fact that these women are able to find support from one another and find a place where someone understands what they're going through is a really good thing," Martins added.

They acknowledged that the study findings are different from media coverage and other research about the pro-ana community.

The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders in 2010 reported that eating disorders affect more than 11 million people in the United States alone. Anorexics lose between 15 and 60 percent of their body weight and are susceptible to osteoporosis and heart ailments that can lead to death. It is viewed as a mental illness.

Little is known about the "pro-ana" online community because of the closeted and secretive nature of its members. The IU study is believed to be the first one to focus on interviews with the bloggers. Previous research in this area has centered on content analysis of what these people, mostly women with the disorders, are writing.

The researchers reached out to 300 bloggers and received a 10 percent response -- a statistically significant response. Both men and women with eating disorders were approached, but only women participated. Participants ranged in age from 15 to 33. Most were attending high school or college, and all lived in countries where anorexia is most common. About two-thirds lived in the United States.

Yeshua-Katz said many bloggers express themselves through song lyrics, music and photos that they call "thinspiration," which are very controversial. Complaints from eating disorder support groups have led Internet service providers to shut down pro-anorexia websites, but the site administrators and bloggers have remained resilient.

"They use the blogs to look for support and understanding, but at the same time, the content they display is something that for us -- people who are not sick -- is very disturbing," she said. "Studies show that people with eating disorders are stigmatized. Therefore these bloggers are looking for a place to vent out and express themselves without judgment of others."

Yeshua-Katz, the lead author on the paper, frequently researches how marginalized people are mediating their stigma through social media.

"The results revealed that the answers to why individuals are attracted to pro-ana sites have little to do with the need to share a broad philosophy or outlook and may stem from the desire simply to belong to a safe community of individuals with similar experiences," the researchers wrote in the study.

Their primary motivation for blogging was to seek social support. Most bloggers started publishing because they did not want to feel alone and were interested in finding others like themselves. They described interactions with family and friends as stressful "because they lack the understanding of their situation, while online they receive support constituted with sympathy, understanding and encouragement."

About half of the bloggers also said self-expression and the need to cope with social stigmas were other motives. When asked to give an example of how blogging might help them cope with stigma, six respondents answered that blogging offers them a different reality.

The majority of the sample reported that blogging about their illness improves their mood, and they found relief through their writing. The support they found was seen as unconditional.

"They receive encouragement when they post about their weight loss success and comfort in bloggers' comments when they fail in such efforts. Moreover, when a user wants to stop self-harm behavior or go into recovery, the community supports her choice too," the researchers explained.

"Our participants perceived the support within their ED community to be stronger than the support they received for their so-called strong ties to their offline life," they said, adding that eight bloggers reported meeting other community members in person.

In medical literature, a patient's decision to find support is seen as a good predictor of compliance and treatment leading to a cure.

Nearly 20 percent of the women interviewed for the study indicated that they were in the process of going through recovery from the illness. One respondent, who was in recovery, said that her blogging activities "gave her the skills to talk about her illness in the recovery process."

Of the 33 women interviewed, 27 defined their eating disorder as a mental illness and six said it was a coping mechanism. Contrary to previous research based on content analysis of the blogs, only three of those interviewed called anorexia a "lifestyle."

"In other words, people living with eating disorders are not purposely making unhealthy or health-compromising decisions. They are trying to find the best way they can to live with this disorder," the researchers wrote.

"I think that's encouraging that a majority don't look at it as a lifestyle," Martins said. "The silver lining is there that if they realize that it's a disease, then maybe they'll eventually seek help for it. But right now this is how they're coping."

While most studies make the claim that pro-ana websites promote and maintain anorexia by sharing tips for weight loss and concealing the disorder, only five bloggers mentioned this as a reason to start their blogs.

"Participants in this research, except for shutting down their blogs, did actively engage in ways to warn their audience about the content and ignored or blocked requests for tips and tricks from what they nicknamed 'wannarexics' -- young teenagers who want to become anorexic," the paper said.

Yeshua-Katz and Martins hope their research provides the medical community with greater understanding of the people they are treating. One of the bloggers they spoke to expressed difficulty finding "recovery" blogs and still follows the pro-ana blogs because "it's hard to totally abandon them."

"For example, they were missing a 24-hour support place," Yeshua-Katz said. "We need to see what about (the pro-ana blogs) is drawing people into the community and design blogs for recovery that offer the same kind of useful information so the recovery will work.

"By knowing what they're doing in those blogs, we might be able to find better ways to provide online support," she added.

The paper also highlights a major paradox for the pro-ana community. "They go online to vent out and to relieve stress. But then by having their blog, by having their secret life, it adds another level of stress to their life," Yeshua-Katz said. "There is an information game going on, and it's very intense and stressful because your stigma is unknown."

Ten of the pro-ana bloggers actually produce two blogs -- a "healthy" one for family members and friends and another about their eating disorders.

"The fact that disordered eating is such a solitary and isolating experience makes the Internet an ideal place for offering support and advice," the researchers wrote. "The pro-ana community is worth studying in its own right as a social space that affords a style of interaction that would be highly unlikely to be visible in the offline or pre-Internet environment."

This news isn't shocking to those of us who have Lived this Truth since the First Wave began in the mid-late 1990's.  What's new -- and so very positive for us -- is that this is a formal study MORE than just content analysis from an outside perspective.  This is the first study in the US to look at the positive side of Pro-Ana.  France preceded us with the ANAMIA Study, a comprehensive European study looking at Pro-Ana sites from the perspective of the participants' experiences.  This news is a Dream Realized for me, and I cannot be more blessed to see this information come to society at large.  My fervent hope is that this study will be the gateway to more funding and research in order to protect and understand (or at the very least, tolerate) the presence of the Pro-Ana Movement on the Internet.

I've been campaigning for this Truth for over a decade, and it is so beautiful to see it coming to light ahead of the grotesque sensationalist media which has long-demonized the Pro-Ana Movement as a whole.  Myself and the Project Shapeshift Community, as well as a consortium of other Pro-Ana bloggers and Administrators, are celebrating this triumph!

I am infinitely grateful to the IU Researchers for investigating this issue, and I look forward with great anticipation to see a more broad societal realization that ED Sufferers NEED AND DESERVE to pursue ANY path, free of judgment, which helps them cope and survive best.

It's a good day for us, Precious Ones! <3


Much love and BE WELL!

~A.G.E.

AnaGirlEmpath's ProAna Education Series -- 2nd Video Is Up! :)

Understanding The ProAna Movement II:  History, Development and Censorship

The ProAna Movement remains one of the most controversial and highly-debated phenomena of our time.  In this series, I will be sharing findings from 10+ years researching ProAna.  My original question was, "Why?"  That question led to many others, and seeking answers has driven my studies since that time.  In Part II, historical information regarding medicalized support communities online; the evolution of ProAna in terms of the online dynamic, and the extensive efforts of condemnation and censorship are discussed.
Questions are welcomed and encouraged! :)

Eating Disorders and Personification: Ana? Ed? Male Or Female? ~TWR Thursdays w/ A.G.E.

It is very common for people with eating disorders to personify their ED. This is because the ED Voice and the experience of ED consciousness is experienced so much like there is an entity within, separate from self. Many patients name their disorder and intuit a gender for it as well. Ana, Mia, Ed, Rex, Eddie, Edna...the list goes on. Interestingly, female names seem to get the most flack; particularly Ana and Mia. This is likely due to the negative association with the Pro-ED stigma -- with which many people recovering from ED's are afraid to be wrongfully associated. What about you? Do you experience your ED as a Dual Consciousness? Is it a male or female presence? What do you call it? Please share!
I also share a favorite recipe of mine. ;)

AnaGirl's ProAna Education Series: First Video Is Up! :)

I just published my first video in my ProAna research and education project, "Understanding The ProAna Movement"!  Please share your thoughts, and if you like the video, please "Like" it on YouTube (you can also click "Like" at the top right of the embedded video)! :)  I am looking forward to stimulating some dialogue and I hope this video will be well-received.  Idealistic and potentially deluded of me? Possibly! LOL! ^_^

This is the video I made last month introducing this Project:

I'd love to know your thoughts! :)


Much love and be well, precious ones! <3
~A.G.E.

I'm Doing a Q&A Video Soon! Ask Me Anything (ED-related or otherwise; I'll answer all questions received)!

Shit People Say To Anorexics / People with Eating Disorders! ^_^

 

Ever seen one of the "Shit People Say" videos on YouTube?  There's a "Shit People Say" for just about everything -- "Shit People Say To Short People; Shit Healthy People Say To Sick People;" "Shit People Say To Arabs" -- you get the idea.  Well, now the ED Community has our very own version! :)
Thank you so much to everyone who contributed!  This video is a huge success in our Community and is very popular, thanks to all of the amazing submissions I received!  Several people are already asking for a Part II! LOL!  Please let me know what you think! :)  Much love! XOXOX

QUESTION:  WHAT DOES "PRO-ANA" MEAN?

ANSWER:
The two major definitions of ProAna are based on the two most common populations who embrace the term as an identifying descriptor:
1. Individuals suffering from Anorexia Nervosa (AN) or other restrictive eating disorders (ED's): Commonly, this approach to living with an ED stems from barriers to treatment and a subsequent desire to reach out and connect with kindred sufferers for support. They may or may not be recovery-oriented. Genuine ED sufferers who identify as ProAna embrace the term as PROACTIVE IN ANOREXIA - making the most of their Lives despite their disorder. This group includes those for whom treatment is inadequate, inaccessible or unwanted.
2. Individuals who covet pathology; who emulate anorexic behaviors and WANT to cultivate and celebrate ED's within themselves (aka "wanarexics").  These individuals have taken an historical empowerment motto and twisted it's intended meaning to a literal interpretation (i.e., a disavowal of victim mentality as an empowerment strategy -- they actually believe that "Anorexia is a Lifestyle, Not A Disease." These are individuals who do NOT have ED's but wish they did; those who strive to attain the extremely thin physique exhibited in long-term anorexics; who emulate the eating-disordered practices which manifest in AN patients.
The former are seeking a new approach to living with these insidious illnesses; reaching out when current treatment modalities have failed to help. The articulation of the "Ana Creed" and "Ana Psalm"; "Thin Commandments" and "Letters from Ana or Mia" were intended as CREATIVE ALLITERATIONS; explorations of the ED psyche - they were NEVER meant to be taken literally! This is a critical issue. Wanarexics have embraced these creative works as literal tenets for "how to become anorexic."
The latter are resented by genuine sufferers who know all-too-well that ED's are not glamorous or cool or chic in any way.

_______________

If a significant portion of the above text looks familiar, it is (at least to those who read my original essay on the issue, published first on Project Shapeshift's Tumblr page.  I recently answered a question regarding what ProAna means, and I thought I'd share the updated answer here.  I am also working on a major edit (with research citations) for the Wikipedia sections on ProAna (main and subcategory under the ED section).  I have updated my previous article to be more professional and less "insider-only"/colloquial, and I decided to share it here. <3  Thoughts?

PROJECT SHOUTOUT! My First 4! :)

***TWO NAME SPELLING ERRORS! AGH! *headdesk*
CORRECT SPELLINGS: @MalinGunilla and @LuvingLolita ***
Project Shoutout was conceived from the knowledge that WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER! :)  Vlogging can be intimidating, especially if you're new!  Support is so critical in this Journey, and reaching out can be particularly difficult for ED sufferers. Well, screw that!  Come join us!  We love you!  Tell me your YouTube name, share age if you like, which eating disorder you have and how we can best support you and I will include you in a shoutout video!  You can also submit a name of someone who could use a shoutout, or someone influential in the Community whom everyone should know.  Want to make your own? Submit any shoutout as a video response to this video!  Let's get connected everyone!
~*Much Love & Be Well, Precious Ones!*~

PROJECT SHOUTOUT: Why?

PROJECT SHOUTOUT!  Why?

 Project Shoutout was conceived from the knowledge that WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER! :)  Vlogging can be intimidating, especially if you're new!  Support is so critical in this Journey, and reaching out can be particularly difficult for ED sufferers. Well, screw that!  Come join us!  We love you!  Tell me your YouTube name, share age if you like, which eating disorder you have and how we can best support you and I will include you in a shoutout video!  You can also submit a name of someone who could use a shoutout, or someone influential in the Community whom everyone should know.  Want to make your own? Submit any shoutout as a video response to this video!  Let's get connected everyone!
~*Much Love & Be Well, Precious Ones!*~

PROJECT SHOUTOUT! Connecting Eating Disorder / Anorexia / Bulimia / EDNOS Vloggers (Esp. New Ones)!

PROJECT SHOUTOUT! Connecting Eating Disorder / Anorexia / Bulimia / EDNOS Vloggers (Esp. New Ones)!
Project Shoutout was conceived from the knowledge that WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER! :)  Vlogging can be intimidating, especially if you're new!  Support is so critical in this Journey, and reaching out can be particularly difficult for ED sufferers. Well, screw that!  Come join us!  We love you!  Tell me your YouTube name, share age if you like, which eating disorder you have and how we can best support you and I will include you in a shoutout video!  You can also submit a name of someone who could use a shoutout, or someone influential in the Community whom everyone should know.  Want to make your own? Submit any shoutout as a video response to this video!  Let's get connected everyone!
~*Much Love & Be Well, Precious Ones!*~

Processing The Journey: A Poem I Wrote Some Time Ago Regarding My Walk With Ana and The Point Of Choosing Life

We often ponder where the turning point lies -- when we find that we are poised upon the precipice of the choice between Life and Death.  The following work was shared on Project Shapeshift on April 2, 2010:


"I was reading a work by Kodou, and the following empathic processing ensued:


I am transported --
To a different time
A different place
A former Life
As a different wife...

Wedded in Black to Ana in absolute dark devotion,
I have stood in that place;
Faced the Inquisition before every reflective surface...

This netherworld where all who slip over the Thin Red Line find themselves...
Into the soul-annihilating abyss of overt AN...
At once beautiful and hideous
Wondrous and devastating
Alluring and most toxic
Terrifying and irresistible
The most exquisite torture, and yet
There is Pleasure here

She beckons, always
Her whispers milk and honey --
Promising Absolution
Purification
Ascension
Enlightenment
NirvAna

Nothing but the velvet kiss of Death will free me from this rapacious seduction; this defiled Lifepath,
Chasing Ana and Her elusive promises over the edge and into the Inverse of Living itself

I must fight -- with every breath
Deny the potent desire of my own heart
Stand vigilantly against what feels so natural...
But is unquestionably my ultimate demise

Locked in the tenuous throes of opposing wills,
I resist the longing;
Close my eyes against the corruptive enchantment of AnaVision
Close my mind against Numberlust
Seek that which is intrinsically ME
Within a tainted being, where Ana's signature blurs the boundaries of self and AnaConsciousness
For if I falter; if I relax
Even for a moment
She will win
And this will be the end.


See my reading of this work on YouTube: Processing The Healing Journey: Anorexia Nervosa

Sharing Some Writing...

‎"I do not think the rates of eating disorders [in men and in general] are increasing. I think AWARENESS is increasing -- and raising Awareness encourages and empowers those stigmatized [for any reason] to come forward; to find and then add their Voice to the cause; to speak out and refuse to maintain their silence."
~AnaGirlEmpath, manuscript excerpt, "Notes From The Field: A Treatise On The Eating Disorder Experience"