ARFID: The Lesser-Known Eating Disorder
If you ask most people to list off a few eating disorders, they will probably mention things like anorexia or bulimia nervosa, or possibly even binge eating disorders. However, there are actually many eating disorder subtypes defined, and many of them are not all that familiar. One such eating disorder is ARFID, which stands for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. Once referred to as a selective eating disorder, ARFID is a disorder that involves being overly selective about what type of foods are eaten. Take a look at some of the facts about ARFID to better determine if you or a loved one needs inpatient eating disorder treatment.
ARFID has similarities with anorexia nervosa but is different.
Both ARFID and anorexia involve extreme limitations of food, and both disorders can have associated obsessive tendencies. For instance, someone with anorexia may be restricting what types of food they eat because of caloric intake and someone with ARFID may restrict what types of food they eat because of other reasons. Most people with ARFID will only eat a small list of food types because of fears of texture, choking, gagging, or other internal thought processes.
ARFID is not characterized by an obsession with weight gain/loss.
One thing that is unique about ARFID is it exists without the typical preoccupation with body shape or size, which is often the case with other types of eating disorders. People with ARFID can be underweight or malnourished, but this happens as a side effect of not getting the proper nutrition in their diet. The preoccupation with food selection is not relative to its fat content or how it will affect their appearance.
ARFID is often a missed diagnosis among adolescents and young adults.
It is natural for younger children to be really picky about what they eat. For example, a toddler may go for months and refuse to eat anything but french fries and crackers. However, these tendencies should quickly subside as the child grows and new maturity levels are reached. Children who do not outgrow the typical picky-eater behavior may have a more serious condition, but the condition is often just assumed to be abnormal picky eating. If a child is extremely picky about what they eat, so much so that there are only a short list of foods that they will consume, it is best to speak to a pediatrician about the possibility of ARFID being the issue.
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