11/5

Frampton (2008) suggests that it is fruitless to make an attempt at preventing the publishing of pro-ed websites; instead, he suggests, we need to focus on equipping therapists with the tools to deal with the effects of these websites on patients. Although I agree that we must begin to analyze the effects of these websites on patients’ cognitions, I think that simply taking a passive stance defeats the purpose of primary prevention; if we dealt with other issues in the same manner, ignoring their roots and simply worrying about treatment post-exposure, we would be living an a very chaotic world. For example, consider today’s rape culture. A rape culture is defined as a society that accepts rape as inevitable and, although acknowledges that rape is “wrong,” believes that it is pointless to take action against it because it is bound to happen anyway. We should be very thankful that we have organizations such as Rape Crisis Centers and other advocacy organizations that promote awareness for these issues and engage in primary prevention through education and activism. Without these organizations, we would be a defeated society. Thus, in the same way, we cannot ignore the core issues of pro-Ana websites. Just like we cannot battle depression by merely treating its symptoms, we cannot battle eating disorders by simply treating the aftereffects of harmful websites.