http://www.something-fishy.org/

This site is a wonderful resource for almost anyone who wants to learn more about eating disorders, including sufferers of the disorders.  There are chats hosted by the sites' creators, Amy (a recovered anorexic) and her husband, Tony.  Their mission statement includes raising awareness and a message that complete recovery is possible.  The site also includes special bulletins, news articles, stories, information on getting insurance companies to help with treatment, and a memorial wall dedicated to people who have died from eating disorders.  There is a monthly survey regarding issues surrounding the disorders.  In addition, there is a wealth of information about different types of disorders, health issues, signs to look for, associated dangers, recovery, treatment, family issues, cultural issues, prevention, and causes.  There are sections for doctors looking to help their patients, families who want to help their loved ones, and most especially, a lot of information and support for sufferers.
I think this site is absolutely fabulous.  While its aim is obviously to prevent and help cure eating disorders, it presents its resources objectively, letting the information speak for itself, which is good for current sufferers of eating disorders who may be scared away by a more directly biased approach.
 
 

http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

This site is the new site for the National Eating Disorders Association.  Although it is not as resource-rich as the first site, it is still very informative and definitely legitimate.  It is appropriate for sufferers of eating disorders and their families and friends.  The part I really like about this site is a page dedicated to helping someone find treatment with a list of the kinds of questions to ask to find a good provider and then what to ask once you’ve found one.  Several links to other resources are provided on this site as well as some programs to sign up for.
 
 

http://www.medainc.org

The Massachusetts Eating Disorders Association, Inc.
This site could be very valuable to those who suffer from eating disorders in Massachusetts.  In addition to a long list of helpful resources and links, it has a list of all the treatment facilities and providers in Massachusetts.  Still not as big as Something-Fishy, but there is a lot of information and it is convenient for those who do live in Mass.
 
 

http://www.mirror-mirror.org/eatdis.htm

This site is named Mirror-Mirror, because just like fairy tales, what a sufferer sees in the mirror is not real.  It is a very encouraging site advocating for recovery, with an empathetic tone that seems to tell its visitors that their pain is understood and there is hope.  There is a lot of information including advice on how to find a therapist and how to approach someone for help.  One feature I particularly liked was the eating disorder survivor wall.  The person who wrote this site appears to have a very good understanding of what it is like to suffer from and recover from an eating disorder.
I think this site would be most beneficial for someone who is thinking about getting help but needs encouragement.  The empathetic language of the site also promotes a stronger understanding of the disorders for non-sufferers.
 
 

http://www.findinfo.com/anorexia.htm

This site is just a long list of links to sites on Anorexia.  It isa good resource because so many links are listed, including links to articles about males with anorexia.  There are sites for chat rooms, newsgroups, message boards, personal stories, music, and all other areas of information, but just on anorexia, not all eating disorders.  It is definitely a  valuable resource regarding Anorexia.

http://www.raderprograms.com/

This page essentially promotes "Rader Programs," treatment centers that specialize in eating disorders.  The primary purpose of Rader Programs is to treat eating disorders in a supportive environment by assisting the affected individuals and their families in developing a life long program for recovery. The philosophy behind these programs is that willpower alone does not workto cure eating disorders because they are diseases.  The approach iscentered around the individual suffering and alternative ways to deal withproblems are presented as treatment.  Many of the staff members arerecoverers themselves.
The page has several links to more information on different psychological and physical aspects of eating disorders and provides statistics.  There is a chat room moderated twice a month by Rader counselors.  The information is useful for both sufferers and the general public, but it is also verybiased towards its own methods.  In some ways, I think it might discourage  sufferers from trying to stop on their own or seek other means of help.
 
 

The following sites are for four additional clinics/programs designed tohelp sufferers recover from eating disorders.  Each of them employs a similar method of treatment including group counseling, individual therapy, and isolation from the real world for a minimum of about a month.  They are not as discouraging as the Rader site, but still sport biased opinions regarding their particular programs, which, again, may lead a person to believe that they could not get effective help from other sources, and many people suffering from eating disorders simply may not be able to afford the care given at these centers.
 

http://www.renfrew.org

Treatment at the Renfrew Center is for several different kinds of women’s health issues, designed to be collaborative, interactive, and personal.  They sponsor seminars on eating disorders, and the site has quizzes, articles, and places to post questions.  There are also pages for health careworkers interested in coming to work for the Center with information on education and credits.
 
 

http://www.montenido.com/

Monte Nido promotes a level program in which clients enter with more constricting rules and greater freedom and responsibility are learned over time.  They also have a transition house for people not yet ready to leave but who no longer need 24-hour supervision.  There is a long list of links provided but not much else as far as helpful information about eating disorders in general.
 

http://www.centerforchange.com

The Center for Change stresses constant supervision by staff and employsa method of unlearning the behavior of the eating disorder. The program isfor women only.  This site contains many links for information in addition to just giving information about its program.  It has the most helpful information of all the clinic sites outside the scope of what the clinicdoes.
 

http://www.canopycove.com

Canopy Cove is unique in its use of Equine and Nature therapy (in addition to more common practices) to treat Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binging. The site has very little information regarding eating disorders themselvesand only one link on its link page, so it is generally unhelpful unless youwant to go there.  I think they should provide at least a few more linksto helpful resources.

http://www.eating-disorder.org/prosites.html

This webpage speaks out against pro-anorexic and pro-eating disorder websites which can be found on the net.  It warns readers about the dangers of such sites regarding their influence on young women and others to get skinny through anorexia.  The author acknowledges these site sponsors' rights to freedom of speech and accordingly exercises her own to warn parents, the media, and the general public, including young women about the content of these disturbing pages.
 
 

Pro-Eating Disorder Sites

The following sites are certainly not recommended for people currently sufferingfrom eating disorders.  Each one contains material that makes me wantto cry.  However, I must admit that because these sites were createdby affected individuals who are currently controlled by Eating Disorders, they do provide the most insight for people who do not understand the Disorders.  They could be useful for doctors, counselors, and families of sufferers as tools for understanding the thought processes inside the heads of those they love and want to help.
 

http://content.communities.msn.com/AnaByChoiceAllWelcome

This site was created and is maintained by a young woman who lives her life "Ana's Way" as an anorexic.  The site includes her personal journal with many stories about long periods of fasting and advice to the readers to keep listening to "Ana" who is the voice of Anorexia inside her head.  Outside the journal, she offers advice on fasting and dieting and pleas to keep living "Ana's Way".  There is even a list of Ana's Rules for staying thin.  Her picture page states that the pictures of bony girls would inspire anyone to wantto be thin.  Many of the photos personally disgust me, mostly for theway they are used, because the women in the pictures are far thinner thanmy ideal body, and to think that anyone would work so hard to look so unhealthyis very sad.
 

http://theprefectdrug.blogspot.com/

This is a discussion forum utilized by anorexic women who support each other in their way of life and offer each other advice on how to be "successful" in staying skinny.  They share their own "success" stories and discuss ideals of thinness.  Again, this site is very depressing for someone who doesn't relate to being anorexic, but reading the exchanges between women who do suffer provides a better understanding of the disease.
 
 

http://www.anorexic-rec.com

This is the most shocking website I have ever seen on the internet.  It is loaded with pornography and hostile stories written by sickly-looking women who hate fat people, or more accurately, anyone with any amount of body fat.  The women on this site have paper thin skin which appearsto be just hanging over their protruding bones.  Their writing advocates not only anorexia, but other obsessive behaviors and fetishes such as druguse, vomiting for sexual pleasure, and beating up women.  The site includes photos of women "punishing" themselves when they get too "fat" or their breasts get too big, using clamps to inflict pain on themselves.  They give persuasive arguments advocating for anorexia, including testimonies claiming that a body doesn't actually need solid foods once it is used to going without them.  The worst aspect of all of this is that their words were actually compelling; they really believe in what they are advocating and their minds appear to be permanently closed to alternatives.  This site is very difficult to relate to as an outsider, but it is interesting in the way that it so strongly captures the complicated thoughts of a group of people with obvious psychological problems beyond anorexia nervosa.
 

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