Clearly there is a need to give autonomy back to individuals, especially individuals who feel controlled by an impulse they can’t quite grasp. But simply commiserating over shared misery isn’t enough. Support groups must be monitored, and guided, by individuals with enough grounding to keep discussions and feelings on the right track.

It may be, and correct me if I’m wrong, that some traditional eating disorder support groups don’t allow people to talk about their actual behaviors, or get upset when others do, and so discourage a free, nonjudgmental and open discourse necessary for a support group really to be effective and help others. Perhaps this is the void that pro-ana groups are filling.

But I think the concern cited is that pro-ana groups that actually promote the disordered behavior may be leading some astray in reinforcing the eating disorder (rather than helping them cope with finding ways to end it).

I think it’s possible to have a support group be nonjudgmental and not have to fall into the “pro-ana” category to be helpful to those who are grappling with this difficult issue. Perhaps there are just not too many successful examples of such groups…

one of the few in the media who has taken the time to understand the idea that “pro-ana” does not mean that the entirety of its community members are necessarily trying to promote ana. most of us are simply coping and craving nonjudgmental support.

i have been ana since early childhood. although i’ve been through therapy, 12-step programs, and other treatments, my greatest progress has been through the relationships i’ve developed within the “pro-ana” community.

through the anonymity of the community, i have been able to intimately discuss the details of my “dis-ease,” and to work through the emotions behind much of it. in findin a new voice for my feelings and a new outlet for my creativity through my discussions within the community, i’ve gained tremendous strength and confidence. for that i am grateful. i see a light at the end of the tunnel.

indeed, through the support i have found within the community, i have grown emotionally. my anger and self-hatred has abated somewhat, and i have even been willing to attend to 12-step meetings.

at the same time, in supporting each other without judgment, we have worked to prevent (or at least provide support to prevent) episodes of cutting, purging, and seemingly inconsolable depression. and, more recently, tried to support fellow anas involved in horribly abusive relationships (often involving men who verbally abuse their girlfriend’s into horrifying anorexic and bulimic episodes).

unfortunately, newsweek did not bother to look at both sides of this equation. i worry that this article will destroy a burgeoning community of individuals seeking help from each other amidst a society that simultaneously celebrates the aesthetic results of anorectic behavior, while scowling at the painful methods required to achieve perfection. because of stories such as hers (and the people she interviewed) we live in fear of “deletion,” which, in many cases would cut the only lifeline many of us possess, particularly those residing in remote areas or in abusive households/relationships.

ultimately, ana is about control. for all too many anas, our lives have been marked by physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. for those of us afflicted by the dis-ease of anorexia, our caloric intake is one of the few areas in which we have ever experienced any measure of control. as i gain greater control in other areas of my life, i feel less desperate, less driven to hurt myself, less compelled to truly starve.

thank you for the willingness to think critically about our plight.