Internet Science

This paper proposes an approach for the early detection of anorexia nervosa (AN) on social media. We present a machine learning approach that processes the texts written by social media users. This method relies on a set of features based on domain-specific vocabulary, topics, psychological processes, and linguistic information extracted from the users’ writings. This approach penalizes the delay in detecting positive cases in order to classify the users in risk as early as possible. Identifying anorexia early, along with an appropriate treatment, improves the speed of recovery and the likelihood of staying free of the illness. The results of this work showed that our proposal is suitable for the early detection of AN symptoms.