Eating disorders and the Internet: cure and curse.
OBJECTIVE
The role of culture and the mass-media in relation to eating disorders (EDs) is widely acknowledged, and the Internet has become an important part of this over the last few years. The aim of this report is to suggest the general features and potential clinical implications of "pro-Ana" websites and those concerning the treatment of EDs.


METHODS
We conducted a Google search using the key words "anorexia nervosa (AN) and treatment", "AN and psychotherapy", "AN and pharmacotherapy", and then "pro-anorexia", "pro-ana sites", "thinspiration" and "anorexicnation".


RESULTS
The first group of queries gave respectively 546,000, 212,000 and 39,100 results; the second 257,000, 18,600, 14,200 and 577. Forty-seven of 100 randomly selected pro-ana websites were thoroughly visited.


CONCLUSIONS
Internet websites may increase the accessibility of treatments but also strengthen some of the core psychopathological and symptomatological issues of AN, such as asceticism, competition, purging behaviours and obsession for control. Greater attention should be paid to the health policy of countries in which pro-ana websites flourish, and the clinical implications of the websites themselves.
Abbate Daga
G
G
Eating Disorders Center, Department of Neurosciences, Psychiatric Institute, University of Turin, 10126 Turino, Italy.
Gramaglia
C
C
Pierò
A
A
Fassino
S
S
D004358:Drug Therapy; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services; D020407:Internet; D009042:Motivation; D011613:Psychotherapy