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The proliferation of Pro-Anorexia Websites is a phenomenon that for believers in the conventional wisdom about eating disorders is troubling and confusing. Why would someone be so sick of mind to try to encourage others to starve themselves to death? Many web hosting companies have now banned these sites, and so some search engines will not find many Pro-Anna sites.
If you entertain the idea that possibly many, if not all of the individuals operating these sites have underlying digestive disorders that make it difficult, if not impossible to eat most foods, this phenomenon is perfectly predictable. Having been through many eating disorder programs and relapsing often, these individuals would eventually feel like the whole world is against them. This feeling of despair and failure to please anyone drives many to suicide. It drives others to seek support of people going through the same experience, and yet others to stand up for the rights of this persecuted minority. The phenomenon of Pro-Anna sites is similar to what happens when any oppressed and misunderstood minority organizes and stands up for itself. You'll see this same behavior with racial minorities, homosexuals, disabled people, and countless others. The human need for community and emotional support is universal. People that feel misunderstood, oppressed or abused rally and stand up for themselves. This is not sick, demented behavior. It is human nature.
It is of paramount importance that these individuals have appropriate diagnostic medical tests conducted to determine if there is an underlying medical cause for their anorexia. Just because some may have had many diagnostic tests that appeared normal does not mean there isn't anything wrong.
If you are involved in a Pro-Anorexia website yourself, please contact us! Please let us know your story and how you came to feel this way about eating. Tell us if you have abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, and bloating. You may be interpreting these feelings as the "Anorexic Voice" punishing you for eating. Your input is vital to gaining understanding and compassion for those that feel oppressed and misundertood. You're not crazy, you're just doing what feels right, and doing what any of us might do if put in the same situation. Please contact us!
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