What's up with that?

Is it just me, or are a lot of young people on this site trying to lose weight by eating very little?  I'm reading items from people who genuinely feel as though they need to eat 900 cals a day to lose weight and are using the site to monitor that. Or are 115 pounds and just cannot believe they aren't losing. Makes me kind of sad.  Thoughts?

It's not something new, if that's what you're wondering. It's been going on for decades, it's just that now with the internet and social media and forums like these it's way more out in the open.

It's unfortunate that there are so many children, teens, and adults with body dysmorphic disorders.

Every time I see those I'm torn between screaming and crying. I had a cousin who struggled with anorexia and she was never big (probably never more than 110). She had gotten to the point of hospitalization and punched a hole in the wall to hide her food. She had to be observed with food when they discovered that one. She is healthy now, due to a large support structure, but would have certainly died otherwise.

Teenagers are cruel, we all remember this. Unfortunately at the same time their egos are very fragile. One negative comment burrows in and we have to remember that. They don't have the same upbringings that many of us had, and some just don't know how to be polite. The best we can do is be patient, help them out, find stories to help them see the light, and show them that their body is something to respect and love.