A good time to report threads

Ophidion
Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
in Motivation and Support
This is a cut and paste from an old thread of mine, but considering the high amount of dangerous threads I have noticed recently thought it best to repost it.

So I was on MFP doing the usual logging,looking at post's for advice,a giggle etc and came across a post that led me into something that I'm not completely naive about...having met several people that have suffered from it, it is constantly covered on TV for shock value and there are whole websites dedicated to eating disorders.

Eating Disorders...specifically Anorexia nervosa. I will explain as best I can without naming individuals and trying my best not to sound judgmental or uncaring about sufferers, please forgive my ignorance on this subject if it happens unintentionally.

So a post was put up by an individual, I am not going to be too specific, and any way to get a fuller picture of said individual I looked at their profile and this is where the real shock came in...their FL consisted of young women and I mean young I doubt half of them were of the age of 18yrs and all were at dangerously low body weights.Firstly you struck by the profile pics displaying with the same amount of pride as some profile pics in which members are happy to show new muscle growth these individuals were parading skeletal limbs,rib-cages,pencil thin wrists etc

Secondly the next thing that struck me and I do mean struck me it hurt to read was the proclamations and I do mean mission statements and once again I cannot be too specific as I do not wish to cause any unnecessary grief for these individuals...about how they were trying to hit goal weights akin to birth weights and how they were aware that this lifestyle would kill them but aslong as they were skinny they did not care etc etc you get the picture.

Thirdly I started unraveling the thread going from FL to FL and let me tell you it was vast, an endless parade of young women starving themselves to death slowly a virtual slide show (similar to holocaust photos) of these sick...no insult intended they are sick, individuals supporting this self destructive behavior and I don't mean healthy ED support to get over it, they are obviously influencing and maybe even actively encouraging through PM's this lifestyle.

Now I like to think I am not a complete idiot, I know this problem exists but going into this endless who's who FL was much more confronting than going on Thinpos, it was like walking into a house full of these people and they were all sharing techniques on how to reach this withered state and showing off their brittle features, except for the house contained hundreds, nay probably thousands of sick individuals not random images but real profiles of young women killing themselves.

I do not blame myfitnesspal for any of this, ultimately it is our responsibility to look out for ourselves and our friends and they have put in age restrictions, warnings, guidelines etc But it has become evident to me that these individuals are using this site to gather in groups to compare and share results,tips and goals. Is this not a perversion of what this site is intended for.

The title was just to get your attention I don't think MFP is the problem, I don't know if there is a solution. I have sent reports and emails to MFP to make them aware of this situation if they are not. *sigh* I have absolutely no concept of how to deal with this issue, not ED"S as a whole but the use of MFP as a meet and greet, it is beyond me but if you had seen these profiles like me you probably would have been asking yourself why hasn't a red flag gone up! How do so many self-destructive profiles exist side by side and nobody is noticing.

So if you see this kind of self destructive behavior report it and the user/users.

If you feel the urge to say "Cool story bro" or "Get over it" etc, well go jump in a lake, it is relevant to the well being of others and I don't really need your validation to feel concerned.

Replies

  • BeccaBollons
    BeccaBollons Posts: 652 Member
    You're not on your own. I too have noticed this truly alarming number of mostly young people with pages and pages of friends who clearly have a problem. The trail through friends lists goes a long way, and its like people are proud of what they are doing to themselves. No hiding their profiles, techniques, ribs etc. There is something more than Anorexia Nervosa going on. That is a mental illness, something that needs professional help. Mostly, the people to whom you refer just want to be thin, no matter the cost.

    I believe education is the key. Children should be taught about healthy bodies the way they are taught about sex, hygiene and cooking. Start young, tell them what they need to know for their age group. If everyone did this, the next generation would be a happier, healthier more balanced one.
  • VBnotbitter
    VBnotbitter Posts: 820 Member
    Good post, and kudos for following this up as most people don't care enough.

    I don't know what can be done about it either but a wish the mods were more vigilant about this than adults bickering over nonsense
  • Pablotaz
    Pablotaz Posts: 2
    Valandario you are exactly right when you say they have friends and family in a better position to help, great point. Also a great point that we know nothing about them, because they are real people the same as you, me, our children or anyone on this site and deserve to be treated with respect and care. Now what....they are still starving....talk changes nothing unless it involves strategic action. For anyone that has viewed or will view this post who cares about those kids. Mabye you can enter the world that these kids are present in and their parents are generally are not (internet sites) eg MFP and attempt to influence them in a positive way. i am sure there is enough healthy eating, healthy living knowledge out there in the hundreds of thousand of people on this site to attempt to change some kids perspective (even if only a little). if the kids love showing off pictures of each other, send them a picture of yourself looking really heathly and toned or someone else, doesn't really matter as long as it replaces the latest cover from vogue with an emaciated model.

    Basically what i am saying is attempt to be the positive body image role model they so obviously need. influence them in the direction everyone knows they need to be. healthy.....there is two options here and there is ever only two options part of solution or part of problem..

    P.S thanks to Ophidian for bringing up a matter which actually matters, more then what i did or didn't eat today.
  • AccioFitness
    AccioFitness Posts: 244 Member
    As someone who dealt with ED-NOS (I ate, but barely, and exercised excessively) all through my late teens I truly appreciate that the OP is taking the time to try and limit positive reinforcement of eating disorders. It is terrifying how many girls and women are posting her talking about eating less than 500-1000 calories a day and then getting told how "great" they are doing. No, it is t great. It can destroy your body and propagating EDs like they will fix everything is even worse. It's a small step, but reporting threads that are harmful will hopefully help to limit some of that positive reinforcement these girls are receiving. And maybe it will help them to consider or return to recovery.
  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
    I have also seen this sort of thing, mainly after clicking on the profile of people who have posted questionable threads. The one that sticks with me was a comment on the profile that said something along the lines on 'if you eat more than 1300 cal a day I will delete you'. Luckily the majority of people on here are trying to improve their health rather than become skin and bones, but I guess with lots of the other pro-ED sites on the internet having been shut down then they've got to congregate somewhere...
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    I agree...it doesn't help when the adults on the site are also encouraging unhealthy practices as well.Then calling it negativity.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    I agree...it doesn't help when the adults on the site are also encouraging unhealthy practices as well.Then calling it negativity.

    This 100%. And Ophidion? I don't consider you a stalker. Your post obviously came from your concern. I've seen this as well. It's very disturbing. It's also compounded by the adults on MFP who continue to promote their unhealthy lifestyles in the name of losing weight as quickly as possible. Sad.
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    I knew that their were some ED people on here, but I didnt know it was this bad. After reading this post, it only took me about 2 minutes to find a ton of these girls. Eighteen, nineteen, year olds with distorted body pictures for their profiles. Very, very sad.
  • Alex
    Alex Posts: 10,137 MFP Staff
    I have cleaned up some unnecessary negativity in this thread and want to underscore the importance of what Ophidion is calling out in this topic. We do not condone the use of the site to promote, glamorize, or even achieve dangerously low levels of eating. Pro-Ana/Mia content is not allowed. We do welcome users in recovery, but we want the actual use of our site and its tools to reflect recovery. If you notice members who you believe to be underage and/or using the site to achieve dangerous goals, please report your concerns to a moderator or staff member. You can send myself or Rachel a private message, or you can send our Customer Happiness team an email: http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/emails/new
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
    It is unfortunate that this site can be used as a tool to perpetuate unhealthy behavior. I've seen these hoards and wish there was something I could do or say to help, but I know that there isn't.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Great thread!

    One thing I've noticed is that folks can sometimes comment on a dairy 'under calorie goal' for the day with a generic 'great job!'. Well, I've seen that when the person is in recovery, notes she's in recovery on her profile, and has had an unfortunately very low calorie day (or 4).

    Be sure to read the profiles of your friends! Every 'under calorie goal' in your FL might not be a good day :(
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    Great thread!

    One thing I've noticed is that folks can sometimes comment on a dairy 'under calorie goal' for the day with a generic 'great job!'. Well, I've seen that when the person is in recovery, notes she's in recovery on her profile, and has had an unfortunately very low calorie day (or 4).

    Be sure to read the profiles of your friends! Every 'under calorie goal' in your FL might not be a good day :(

    This is why I really wish MFP would somehow relabel the under calorie thing. I think it inadvertently encourages poor behavior. Sure I could eat a coke and a cookie everyday and be under calorie, but I'd still be missing vital calories and nutrition. I wish instead it would say something like you got enough calcium for the day or your fiber intake was above the recommended amount or you ate a good ratio of omega-3 something besides just a focus on calories.
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    I always report the threads that endorse eating disorders, especially if made by underaged users. It makes me sad, as someone who was once caught in that downward spiral.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    I'm not sure I understand the desired outcome of this thread.

    There is a daily tsunami of terrible advice and goals in the thread. Some of it relates to under-eating, some of it to over-eating, some of it to terrible concepts on fitness - over the long run, all of these are equally destructive. If every idiotic post or thread were reported and deleted, this place would be a ghost town.

    What I *think* I'm hearing (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) is that there is a desire to come down hard specifically on those who are under-eating. While I appreciate the sentiment, I don't see the point in this - all that will be accomplished is adding the desirable "outlaw" tag to whatever it is about that lifestyle that draws some people to it.

    That, and they'll go underground. Which would be unfortunate, because in my experience the best way to deal with...problematic...behaviour is to keep it above ground, where the possibility of engagement exists, and they are constantly seeing successful counter-examples.

    To be clear, I'm not questioning anybody's motives on this - I'm 100% certain it is all well intentioned. I'm just having trouble seeing how the purported course of action (assuming I have understood correctly) will make things better, and to caution that it could easily make things worse.

    Now, if MFP simply doesn't want those types of people here, well that's fine. MFP's website, MFP's rules. But that wasn't the impression I got from reading this thread.
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
    ^ There's a difference between bad advice and promoting/spreading warm acceptance and networking to facilitate the disorded eating to which the OP refers. These are chronic, progressive, and fatal mental illnesses. It's not merely"under eating".

    This behavior is seductive to a certain type of vulnerable young mind, and that type of mind is primed by our culture. With the primer set, a broad network of enablers should absolutely be routed.

    This culture should, when identified, be eliminated so that at least MFP is not a willing participant in the destruction of otherwise perfectly healthy young men and women.

    Not the same as raspberry ketones and coffee enemas and green tea extract.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    This behavior is seductive to a certain type of vulnerable young mind, and that type of mind is primed by our culture.

    Pushing away (which is what we're talking about) has *never* worked to prevent young minds from following bad choices, no matter what the choices were about.
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
    This behavior is seductive to a certain type of vulnerable young mind, and that type of mind is primed by our culture.

    Pushing away (which is what we're talking about) has *never* worked to prevent young minds from following bad choices, no matter what the choices were about.

    Are you arguing about things you don't understand? Because I get the feeling that you're arguing about things you don't understand. Unless - - have you any good close personal experience caring for and/or treating someone with an eating disorder?

    These are rhetorical questions and I'm finished with you.
  • thread_baron
    thread_baron Posts: 7 Member
    There seems to be a sort of exhibitionism at play that feeds into the disorder. An entire following of people obsessed with controlling every morsel that goes into their mouths, able to display it for most of the world to see.

    I wonder what any one of us could do to help?

Categories