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1.  Curiosity: What is "heroin chic"?
2.  Question the article answered: What social media websites encourage disorders?
3. Research path question: In what ways did the social media websites cause eating disorders?

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1. Curiosity Question- Who were the influencer's  mentioned in the article?
2. Question the article answered- What did these people cause?
3. Research path question- How do these influencer's impact eating disorders ?

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Eating disorders are characterized by altered eating behavior that negatively impacts a person's physical and mental health. Some recent evidence has suggested that the use of social media may partially influence the eating behaviors of children and adolescents, leading to an increased prevalence of eating disorders.

What are eating disorders?

Eating disorders are serious and often fatal conditions associated with severe disturbances in eating behavior/pattern. In the majority of cases, eating disorders are developed due to overthinking body weight, body shape, and food. A drastic alteration in eating behavior often results in nutritional deficiencies, which in turn can affect the gastrointestinal system, cardiac system, bones, teeth, and oral cavity.

Eating disorders are particularly common among adolescents and young adults; however, the conditions can develop at any age. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.

Anorexia nervosa develops when people dramatically limit the consumption of foods because of the fear of gaining weight. The condition may lead to severe health complications due to excessive loss of body weight. The major contributing factor is an inaccurate perception about body weight or shape.

Bulimia nervosa develops when people episodically eat a large amount of food and subsequently try to cut out the extra calories in an unhealthy way. Because of the guilt feeling of uncontrolled binge-eating, people often force vomit, exercise heavily, use laxatives, or stop eating to compensate for the episodes of overeating. People with bulimia nervosa may have normal body weight or be slightly overweight.

Binge-eating disorder develops when people regularly overeat but do not try to get rid of the extra calories like a person with bulimia nervosa would do. A new episode of binge-eating mostly occurs at least once a week. Because of abnormally high food intake, people often become overweight or obese.

Impact of social media on eating disorders

Dissatisfaction with body weight or shape is the primary contributing factor of altered eating behaviors among adolescents and young adults. Such conditions are particularly common among young girls. There is evidence highlighting a positive association between prolonged media exposure and the development of eating disorders.

The risk of developing eating disorders can be predicted by the photo-based social media activities of adolescents. There is evidence indicating that avoidance of posting photos on social media, photo investment, and photo manipulation are associated with a higher risk of eating disorders.

A recent study conducted on middle school students has raised the possibility that spending too much time on social media may increase the risk of eating disorders. The study specifically focuses on the use of four social media platforms: Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Tumblr. The social media platforms that communicate through photos and videos, such as Instagram and Snapchat, are highly favored by adolescents.

Adolescents and young adults put too much focus on how they are perceived online. This makes them very conscious about body weight, body shape, calorie intake, and exercise. According to the study, these are the core psychological factors influencing distorted eating behavior.

The study has found that about 52% of girls and 45% of boys opt for skipping meals, heavy exercise, and other behaviors associated with eating disorders. Of all participants, about 75% of girls and 70% of boys have been found to have at least one social media account, with Instagram being the most common.

A significantly higher risk of eating disorders has been observed for both boys and girls with each type of social media account. A significantly higher susceptibility to develop eating disorder-related behaviors and over-thinking of body weight and shape has specifically been observed for girls with Snapchat and Tumblr accounts and boys with Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Take-home message

Excessive use of social media may be associated with higher thoughts and behaviors related to eating disorders. The risk may be higher for adolescents and young adults who spend more time on social media and have accounts on multiple platforms. However, there are other factors that could potentially alter the eating behaviors of adolescents, including the influence of friends and family and diet plans followed at home.

Social media may have only a little influence on some people. Thus, it is important to identify the most susceptible people who can be easily influenced by social media content specifically promoting the use of highly processed foods and unrealistic exercise regimens for weight loss and body shape maintenance.

The recommended minimum age for having a social media account is 13 years. Surprisingly, the influence of social media on eating behaviors has been observed among adolescents younger than 13 years.

Given the complexity of the situation, it is recommended that adolescents should be educated about the advantages and disadvantages of social media. This will help them make informed decisions. There is evidence suggesting that social media literacy reduces the risk of eating disorders among adolescents.

Certain programs such as Media Smart and Media Smart Online have been developed and implemented among school students to reduce the risk of eating behaviors. In preliminary studies, these programs have shown beneficial outcomes.

References

Further Reading

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Eating disorders are characterized by altered eating behavior that negatively impacts a person's physical and mental health.

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Eating disorder treatment: Know your options

Treatments for eating disorders include therapy, education and medication. Find out what works.
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Eating disorder treatment depends on your particular disorder and your symptoms. It typically includes a combination of psychological therapy (psychotherapy), nutrition education, medical monitoring and sometimes medications.

Eating disorder treatment also involves addressing other health problems caused by an eating disorder, which can be serious or even life-threatening if they go untreated for too long. If an eating disorder doesn't improve with standard treatment or causes health problems, you may need hospitalization or another type of inpatient program.

Having an organized approach to eating disorder treatment can help you manage symptoms, return to a healthy weight, and maintain your physical and mental health.

Where to start

Whether you start by seeing your primary care practitioner or some type of mental health professional, you'll likely benefit from a referral to a team of professionals who specialize in eating disorder treatment. Members of your treatment team may include:

A mental health professional, such as a psychologist to provide psychological therapy. If you need medication prescription and management, you may see a psychiatrist. Some psychiatrists also provide psychological therapy.

A registered dietitian to provide education on nutrition and meal planning.

Medical or dental specialists to treat health or dental problems that result from your eating disorder.

Your partner, parents or other family members. For young people still living at home, parents should be actively involved in treatment and may supervise meals.

It's best if everyone involved in your treatment communicates about your progress so that adjustments can be made to treatment as needed.

Managing an eating disorder can be a long-term challenge. You may need to continue to see members of your treatment team on a regular basis, even if your eating disorder and related health problems are under control.

Setting up a treatment plan

You and your treatment team determine what your needs are and come up with goals and guidelines. Your treatment team works with you to:

Develop a treatment plan. This includes a plan for treating your eating disorder and setting treatment goals. It also makes it clear what to do if you're not able to stick with your plan.

Treat physical complications. Your treatment team monitors and addresses any health and medical issues that are a result of your eating disorder.

Identify resources. Your treatment team can help you discover what resources are available in your area to help you meet your goals.

Work to identify affordable treatment options. Hospitalization and outpatient programs for treating eating disorders can be expensive, and insurance may not cover all the costs of your care. Talk with your treatment team about financial issues and any concerns - don't avoid treatment because of the potential cost.

Psychological therapy

Psychological therapy is the most important component of eating disorder treatment. It involves seeing a psychologist or another mental health professional on a regular basis.

Therapy may last from a few months to years. It can help you to:

Normalize your eating patterns and achieve a healthy weight

Exchange unhealthy habits for healthy ones

Learn how to monitor your eating and your moods

Develop problem-solving skills

Explore healthy ways to cope with stressful situations

Improve your relationships

Improve your mood

Treatment may involve a combination of different types of therapy, such as:

Cognitive behavioral therapy. This type of psychotherapy focuses on behaviors, thoughts and feelings related to your eating disorder. After helping you gain healthy eating behaviors, it helps you learn to recognize and change distorted thoughts that lead to eating disorder behaviors.

Family-based therapy. During this therapy, family members learn to help you restore healthy eating patterns and achieve a healthy weight until you can do it on your own. This type of therapy can be especially useful for parents learning how to help a teen with an eating disorder.

Group cognitive behavioral therapy. This type of therapy involves meeting with a psychologist or other mental health professional along with others who are diagnosed with an eating disorder. It can help you address thoughts, feelings and behaviors related to your eating disorder, learn skills to manage symptoms, and regain healthy eating patterns.

Your psychologist or other mental health professional may ask you to do homework, such as keep a food journal to review in therapy sessions and identify triggers that cause you to binge, purge or do other unhealthy eating behaviors.

Nutrition education

Registered dietitians and other professionals involved in your treatment can help you better understand your eating disorder and help you develop a plan to achieve and maintain healthy eating habits. Goals of nutrition education may be to:

Work toward a healthy weight

Understand how nutrition affects your body, including recognizing how your eating disorder causes nutrition issues and physical problems

Practice meal planning

Establish regular eating patterns - generally, three meals a day with regular snacks

Take steps to avoid dieting or bingeing

Correct health problems that are a result of malnutrition or obesity

Medications for eating disorders

Medications can't cure an eating disorder. They're most effective when combined with psychological therapy.

Antidepressants are the most common medications used to treat eating disorders that involve binge-eating or purging behaviors, but depending on the situation, other medications are sometimes prescribed.

Taking an antidepressant may be especially helpful if you have bulimia or binge-eating disorder. Antidepressants can also help reduce symptoms of depression or anxiety, which frequently occur along with eating disorders.

You may also need to take medications for physical health problems caused by your eating disorder.

Hospitalization for eating disorders

Hospitalization may be necessary if you have serious physical or mental health problems or if you have anorexia and are unable to eat or gain weight. Severe or life-threatening physical health problems that occur with anorexia can be a medical emergency.

In many cases, the most important goal of hospitalization is to stabilize acute medical symptoms through beginning the process of normalizing eating and weight. The majority of eating and weight restoration takes place in the outpatient setting.

Hospital day treatment programs

Day treatment programs are structured and generally require attendance for multiple hours a day, several days a week. Day treatment can include medical care; group, individual and family therapy; structured eating sessions; and nutrition education.

Residential treatment for eating disorders

With residential treatment, you temporarily live at an eating disorder treatment facility. A residential treatment program may be necessary if you need long-term care for your eating disorder or you've been in the hospital a number of times but your mental or physical health hasn't improved.

Ongoing treatment for health problems

Eating disorders can cause serious health problems related to inadequate nutrition, overeating, bingeing and other factors. The type of health problems caused by eating disorders depends on the type and severity of the eating disorder. In many cases, problems caused by an eating disorder require ongoing treatment and monitoring.

Health problems linked to eating disorders may include:

Electrolyte imbalances, which can interfere with the functioning of your muscles, heart and nerves

Heart problems and high blood pressure

Digestive problems

Nutrient deficiencies

Dental cavities and erosion of the surface of your teeth from frequent vomiting (bulimia)

Low bone density (osteoporosis) as a result of irregular or absent menstruation or long-term malnutrition (anorexia)

Stunted growth caused by poor nutrition (anorexia)

Mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder or substance abuse

Lack of menstruation and problems with infertility and pregnancy

Take an active role

You are the most important member of your treatment team. For successful treatment, you need to be actively involved in your treatment and so do your family members and other loved ones. Your treatment team can provide education and tell you where to find more information and support.

There's a lot of misinformation about eating disorders on the web, so follow your treatment team's advice and get suggestions on reputable websites to learn more about your eating disorder. Examples of helpful websites include the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), as well as Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders (F.E.A.S.T.).

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Show references

1. Eating disorders. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders/index.shtml?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss. Accessed May 22, 2017.

2. Forman SF. Eating disorders: Overview of treatment. https://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed May 22, 2017.

3. Eating disorders: About more than food. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders/index.shtml. Accessed May 22, 2017.

4. Eating disorders. National Alliance on Mental Illness. https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Eating-Disorders/Overview. Accessed May 22, 2017.

5. What are eating disorders? American Psychiatric Association. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/eating-disorders/what-are-eating-disorders. Accessed May 22, 2017.

6. Practice paper of the American Dietetic Association: Nutrition intervention in the treatment of eating disorders. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2011:111:1236.

7. Gabbard GO, ed. Evidence-based psychological treatments for eating disorders. In: Gabbard's Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2014. http://psychiatryonline.org/doi/book/10.1176/appi.books.9781585625048. Accessed May 22, 2017.

8. Gabbard GO, ed. Pharmacological treatment of eating disorders. In: Gabbard's Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2014. http://psychiatryonline.org/doi/book/10.1176/appi.books.9781585625048. Accessed May 22, 2017.

9. Gabbard GO, ed. Intensive treatment for eating disorders. In: Gabbard's Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2014. http://psychiatryonline.org/doi/book/10.1176/appi.books.9781585625048. Accessed May 22, 2017.

10. Eating disorders. American Psychological Association. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/eating.aspx. Accessed May 22, 2017.

11. Sim LA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 14, 2017.

See more In-depth

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Eating disorder treatment: Know your options

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Treatment depends on your eating disorder and symptoms, but it's typically a combination of psychotherapy, nutrition education and, if needed, medications.

# data[].attributes.body
1. Curiosity question: What is psychological therapy?
2. Question the article answered: How would you start you plan with recovering with an eating disorder?
3. Research path question: What are the best ways you could help someone in the situation?

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1. Curiosity question: Is social media really not the cause of eating disorders?
2. Question the article answers: What are the two main types of eating disorders and social media doesn't play a role?
3. Research path question: Should parents expose there kids to social media at a young age? Should parents be more involved in knowing what there kids are doing or watching in social media?

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By Mental Health First Aid USA on February 25, 2020

"Young adolescence is a time of both peer influences and appearance being very important, so it's not hard to see how people this age could become very focused on how they are perceived online." New research suggests that young people who use social media are more likely to develop an eating disorder.

Skipping meals and other behaviors related to eating disorders were reported by 52% of girls and 45% of boys who participated in the study. While social media wasn't cited as a direct cause of eating disorders, according to the study, there is a connection that should be acknowledged and monitored.

Vegan food blogger Jordan Younger shared her experience of using her Instagram to promote a healthy lifestyle as a façade as "healthy eating" quickly escalated into an eating disorder.

"The obsession with my diet took up my every waking hour. It was stopping me from leading a normal life full of social activities and other interests," she said.

Jordan isn't alone. Eating disorders affect up to 30 million people in the United States, and the median age of onset for these disorders is 18 to 20 years old.

Young people are influenced daily by the pressure of social media to look and act a certain way, and if not careful, these thoughts can have a serious impact on their mental and physical health.

Luckily, social media platforms are starting to take responsibility for the power they have and are making positive changes to help young people. In September 2019, Instagram announced new policies to protect people under the age of 18 from certain weight loss products and cosmetic procedures on its platform. People can report problematic content, and, in some cases, it may be removed entirely.

Recently, Snapchat announced the launch of a new tool called "Here For You." The service connects people searching for topics like depression, anxiety and thinspo (an abbreviation for thinspiration) to informative and helpful content written by mental health experts.

We don't know if social media has a direct link to eating disorders. But, if there is a connection, you can help monitor it too. As the use of social media increases, it is important that you take steps to lessen its negative effects and even make it a positive influence on your life. With the right focus, it can be a place to connect with loved ones and share inspiring stories.

You can also take a Mental Health First Aid course. Mental Health First Aid will teach you about the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder, how they impact young people specifically and what you can do to help someone who might be struggling. With the knowledge and skills, you can #BeTheDifference and connect your loved ones to the support and care they need.

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Study Shows Social Media May Play a Role in Eating Disorders Among Teens - Mental Health First Aid

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"Young adolescence is a time of both peer influences and appearance being very important, so it's not hard to see how people this age could become very focused on how they are perceived online." New research suggests that young people who use social media are more likely to develop an eating disorder.

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1. Curiosity Questions : How can parents be more aware of this? In what ways could they help?
2. Question the article answers: How do creators slowly influence other people to engage in bad eating habits to be "healthy"?
3. Research path question : How can social media platforms be more body positive?

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1. Curiosity Question: What else can cause an eating disorder other than social media?
2. Questions the article answered: How social negativity impacts eating disorders?
3. Research path questions: What can we do to ensure false information doesn't spread?

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Social Media and Eating Disorders | Turning Point of Tampa Addiction Treatment