Where girls risk death to be thin

ANOREXIA and bulimia are not disorders, they are lifestyle choices — or so you would be led to believe by a number of so-called ‘proanorexia’, or ‘pro-ana’ websites that are popping up all around the internet.

These sites typically attract young girls uncomfortable with their growing bodies, your sister or daughter perhaps, where they can talk on community forums, encouraging each other to ‘think thin’ and eat less than 200 calories a day.

They swap information on diet pills, binge-and-purge techniques, with tips on how to maintain one’s disorder, including advice on how to hide it from friends, family and doctors.