Date founded and
services provided
ANAD was officially launched
in 1976. It is the oldest eating-disorder organization in the nation. ANAD:
Responds to thousands of hotline telephone calls and e-mails annually.
Nurtures a national network of more than 260 ANAD support groups.
Supports Internet/Media Guardians who fight against pro-eating disorder sites, and insensitivity of corporations and the media to anorexia nervosa and related eating disorders.
Has more than 600 resource people who include healthcare professionals, recovered victims of eating disorders, authors, and others who can provide expertise, interviews, lectures, and support related to eating disorders.
Coordinates hundreds of Candlelight Vigils annually.
Distributed more than 4,500 copies of ANAD’s SCHOOL GUIDELINES to secondary schools throughout the country.
Advocates insurance parity and other legislative issues at the federal and state levels.
The Early Days of ANAD
In the early 1970s, Vivian Meehan, ANAD’s president and founder, was a nurse at a hospital in Highland Park, Illinois when a family member was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa.
To her dismay, she found literally no information for sufferers or families and no support systems. She was told by experts that “Anorexia nervosa is so rare that there are probably no more than 2000 cases of anorexia nervosa in the United States--you are wasting your time.”
Vivian decided to do a simple thing to see if the experts were right: She placed a small classified ad in a local newspaper querying if there were others who were searching for information about anorexia nervosa. That tiny ad generated 8 responses from victims and family members of victims.
A national magazine picked up on the story and Vivian was deluged by thousands of phone calls and letters. She opened up her home and her heart and launched the first hotline and referral service in the nation for anorexia nervosa and associated eating disorders..
The small support group Vivian founded in her home went on to establish groups throughout the world. At present there are more than 260 ANAD support groups.. They continue to provide support and self-help for the individuals and families affected by eating disorders and are always free of charge.
Vivian Hanson Meehan, founder and president of the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), was born in Sanish, North Dakota, in 1925.
She became a Registered Nurse (RN) after graduation from the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. She was a supervisor of nurses and later director of the Department of Eating Disorders at Highland Park Hospital, Highland Park, Illinois.
Honors In 1992, the University of North Dakota awarded Mrs. Meehan an honorary Doctor of Science degree.
In 1998, the Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network cited her for dealing with a serious social problem: eating disorders. The Foundation stated that she and ANAD fostered establishment of services for victims and their families and research to prevent the diseases.
Quotations by Subject
Attitude “People who don’t eat often get depressed.” Houston Chronicle, July 7, 2004
“Eating disorders are widespread illnesses that affect all segments of society. They may affect not only the body but also the mind – and appropriate treatment is necessary.” Dear Abby, on uexpress.com, June 26, 2003
“Many patients don’t even know they have a problem, so trying to discuss it with them is often not helpful.” Lifetime.com, undated
Eating disorders enable persons with them “not to think about the things that seem as if they’re unresolvable.” Charlotte Observer, 10/03/2003
Body Image “In America there is a false concept of the female form that is repeated over and over in thousands of ways.” Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, IL 03/12/2003
“By focusing on food or lack of food, you avoid life’s problems. No one can control how much a person eats or how her body appears, except herself.” http://www.nurseweek.com, The Thin Line, 02/11/1999
“When all your time is spent counting calories and analyzing your body, little time is left for dealing with life’s challenges.” Amy’s the lemon slice; healthy living, Dangerous Dieting Facts, 2001
“If the mother’s whole concern is on her body, then the child is going to assume that it’s the most important thing in the world.” Health A to Z, Children May Learn Eating Disorders, June, 2007
Competition and Perfectionism “The girls’ strong competitive drive – and perfectionism – drew them into anorexia or bulimia.” MedicineNet.com from WebMD, 09/22/2004
“The quest for perfection inspires some heated competition between these girls. That competition can be very destructive. And it’s that atmosphere of trying to see who is best that lures in people who wouldn’t otherwise be attracted to these behaviors.” The Wave Magazine, thewavemag.com, undated
“Behaviors to achieve thinness becomes a game to win at all costs over physicians, therapists and family.”
Buzzle.com, from Guardian Unlimited, 07/22/2002 “Often what happens when you see anorexics in a group is that they start to compete with each other. They are vying to be the best anorexic ever. But the best anorexics are dead.” MedicineNet.com, from WebMD, 09/22/2004
Pro-Ana, Pro-Bul Web Sites (How to Become and Remain Anorexic or Bulimic) “I’m appalled when I see these sites, which present eating disorders as normal.” Suite101.com, 11/09/2001, from My.WebMDD
“Receiving or providing tips to promote thinness reinforces (the anorexia sufferers’) own negative and chaotic thinking, enabling them to increase their own efforts toward perfection.” Buzzle.com, from Guardian Unlimited, 07/22/2002
“The girls’ strong competitive drive – and perfectionism – drew them into anorexia or bulimia. Those very qualities make the pro-anorexia chats dangerous. Often what happens when you see anorexics in a group, they start to compete with each other. They are vying to be the best anorexic ever.” MedicineNet.com, 09/22/2004, from WebMD
“Most people with an eating disorder tend to be perfectionistic., not wanting to displease anyone….And feeling that one needs to have control over every part of one’s life. What the eating disorder does is give you a feeling of control.” Charlotte Observer, 10/03/2003
