In spite of the devastating health consequences resulting from eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, young women continue to support anorexic behavior in order to lose weight quickly. A recent article in Newsweek magazine uncovers the rise of "pro-ana" groups on social networking sites like Facebook.

In the article, Stanford professor Rebecka Peebles, M.D. cites a 2006 study that she cowrote which found "that 96 percent of teens diagnosed with eating disorders who visited pro-eating disorder Web sites learned new dieting and purging techniques, and almost 50 percent of teens who visited sites ostensibly devoted to eating disorder recovery also learned new weight-loss tips."

For those of us striving to minister to those with this disease, we have certainly found another red flag that we must look for.

Q&A: What do you think the appeal is for those joining "pro-ana" sites or groups?
Q&A: If you discovered that your daughter or one of your girls was a part of a pro-ana group, how would you respond?