Pro-eating disorder websites: Knowns and unknowns
European Food Chemistry & Eating Disorder Congress
July 26-27, 2018 | Amsterdam, Netherlands

Hyun Jung Kim

Harvard Medical School, USA

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Food Process Techno

Abstract:

Objectives: Transitional aged youths (TAYs, 15-25 years old) who suffer from self-injury issues such as eating disorder often make use of the internet. The purpose of this presentation was to review the nature and scope of pro-eating disorder (proED) websites and to describe research informed clinical guidelines on how to approach TAY???s online proED activities. Methods: A PubMed search was conducted for articles printed between 1991 and 2018, in english, using the following terms (in various combinations): ???eating disorder,??? ???proeating disorder,??? ???pro-ana,??? ???pro-anorexia,??? ???pro-mia,??? ???pro-bulimia,??? ???social media,??? ???social network,??? ???internet,??? ???adolescents,??? ???young adults,??? and ???youth.??? Results: ProED messages are no longer limited to websites that can be easily monitored, but instead have been transplanted to more volatile and constantly changing media such as snapchat, twitter, facebook, instagram, tumblr and many others. While these websites tend to be perceived as supportive by users, they instead appear to exert negative influences: normalizing and reinforcing disordered eating, discouraging disclosure, and preventing help-seeking and recovery. A number of recommendations are proposed for clinicians who work with TAYs who???re involved in online proED activities. Conclusions: Although there may be some perceived benefits associated with online proED activities, there are a number of risks meriting the attention of mental health professionals who work with young people who suffer from disordered eating. Due to the nature of these risks, mental health professionals need to know about the associated risks and how to effectively address young people???s online activities.

Biography :

E-mail: hyunjung.kim@yale.edu