Actress Scarlett Pomers’s Anorexia

Posted by Lori Henry Sep 30, 2006

But instead of feeding the myth that actresses in the spotlight lead trouble free lives, she will speak at the Tween Health Conference hosted by the Girl Scouts Redlands Council in Midwest City, Oklahoma.

The conference is expected to attract over 500 moms' young women and their mothers, which will focus on healthy eating, self-esteem, peer pressure, Internet safety and leadership.

She will speak publicly about her treatment for Anorexia in hopes of sharing with the teens her experience. She wants them to know that, if they are going down that road, how to make better decisions and how to get help.

2 years ago, Scarlett was on a starvation diet that lead to a frightening spiral into an Eating Disorder. She exercised excessively, rarely ate and hid what she was doing. Fortunately, she turned to her mother, who had her admitted into an inpatient facility for treatment.

The thousands of emails from fans and young women who understand her struggle have come flooding in, confirming her impulse to speak publicly about it. She realizes that the disease is more widespread than most people think and that it is highly misunderstood.

"I think being a teenager is a hard time for anybody," Scarlett is quoted as saying. "I'm almost 18, thinking about adult things and teen things. It's definitely a time of transition and it helps to have a teen support system. I was 16, when Anorexia completely took over my life. Girls who have an eating disorder need to find someone they trust and talk to them. I made a choice to get better, and I talked to my mom."