"When you are actively in your eating disorder, you desperately want someone to understand, and a lot of time you find groups like the pro groups on Facebook that are supportive of you continuing your eating disorder."

—21-year-old American Andrea Schneider, addressing the boom in pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia groups — not to be confused with support groups for those seeking recovery from their condition — on social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook.

Pro Ana Nation, a pro-anorexia MySpace group boasting more than 1,000 members, includes in its group rules that there must be "no people trying to recover, it ruins our motivation."  Facebook, another social networking site, has a group called "Get thin or die trying."  Both social networking sites have prohibitions against posting harmful content.

Mimi Hanaoka