{"id":6004,"date":"2023-08-11T16:45:44","date_gmt":"2023-08-11T15:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/?p=6004"},"modified":"2024-05-02T06:40:14","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T05:40:14","slug":"what-is-an-arfid-eating-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/what-is-an-arfid-eating-disorder\/","title":{"rendered":"What is an ARFID eating disorder?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor: pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/what-is-an-arfid-eating-disorder\/#ARFID_v_%E2%80%9CPicky_eating%E2%80%9D\" title=\"ARFID v \u201cPicky eating\u201d \">ARFID v \u201cPicky eating\u201d <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/what-is-an-arfid-eating-disorder\/#Diagnosing_ARFID\" title=\"Diagnosing ARFID\">Diagnosing ARFID<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/what-is-an-arfid-eating-disorder\/#Symptoms_of_ARFID\" title=\"Symptoms of ARFID \">Symptoms of ARFID <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/what-is-an-arfid-eating-disorder\/#What_are_examples_of_ARFID\" title=\"What are examples of ARFID? \">What are examples of ARFID? <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/what-is-an-arfid-eating-disorder\/#Dealing_with_ARFID\" title=\"Dealing with ARFID \">Dealing with ARFID <\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"6004\" class=\"elementor elementor-6004\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6725e34 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6725e34\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-baf9334\" data-id=\"baf9334\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5e2666 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d5e2666\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>What is an ARFID eating disorder? ARFID &#8211; Avoidant\/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder &#8211; is an eating disorder characterised by an extreme and persistent avoidance of &#8211; or restriction to &#8211; certain foods or food groups. This disorder can have a significant negative impact on physical, social and nutritional health.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c9959ea elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"c9959ea\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"ARFID_v_%E2%80%9CPicky_eating%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>ARFID v \u201cPicky eating\u201d <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-40a6e6f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"40a6e6f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationaleatingdisorders.org\/avoidant-restrictive-food-intake-disorder-arfid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ARFID<\/a> should be distinguished from picky or fussy eating which is a quite different thing. \u2018Fussy eating\u2019 is not unusual during many children\u2019s development; quite commonly children will express strong food preferences. They want a favourite or particular food \u2013 or will express a dislike of certain foods \u2013 despite being perfectly capable of eating a wide range of foods.\u00a0 Sometimes they can be very fussy about food looking perfect or unblemished (e.g they won\u2019t eat a French fry with a dark spot on it).\u00a0 However despite being very picky and sometimes playing on the special attention or preferential treatment they get, fussy eaters are not <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">phobic<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0 Unlike ARFID sufferers, picky eaters are actually able to eat other foods.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By contrast ARFID is psychologically quite different \u2013 ARFID is a phobia related to certain foods.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/g.co\/kgs\/2eN4fak\" target=\"_blank\">People with ARFID<\/a> may even desperately want to try some appetising-looking food, but are unable to do so, or are unable to swallow it.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e7c16c0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e7c16c0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Diagnosing_ARFID\"><\/span>Diagnosing ARFID<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-24f47c7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"24f47c7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ARFID has only relatively recently been recognized as an eating disorder \u2013 it was first identified in the American Psychiatric Association\u2019s manual of Mental Disorders in 2013. \u2018<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders\u2019<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (DSM-5) is the standard authoritative source for clinical practice used by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/\">mental health professionals<\/a> across the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because this is a relatively new diagnosis, many clinicians are unfamiliar with this new diagnostic category and the specific diagnostic criteria that define this disorder. There is evidence that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4220532\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ARFID is not widely recognised by health professionals<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and that regular <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s40337-018-0193-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tests for eating disorders fail to detect patients with ARFID<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e398a63 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e398a63\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Symptoms_of_ARFID\"><\/span>Symptoms of ARFID <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f3072c5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f3072c5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ARFID as a diagnosis encompasses a varied display of clinical presentations, but individuals share a primary disturbance in eating behaviour.\u00a0 Symptoms may include:<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Severe food restriction or avoidance<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extreme pickiness or selectivity in food choices<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/weight-loss-therapy-london\/\">Weight loss<\/a>, poor growth, or a failure to thrive<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nutritional deficiencies and associated health issues (e.g. fatigue)<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/hypnotherapy-for-anxiety\/\">Anxiety or distress<\/a> related to eating or to specific food characteristics<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Poor mental health related quality of life<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dependence on nutritional supplements or meal replacement drinks<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disruption of social activities or withdrawal from mealtime interactions<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Limited interest or pleasure in eating<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fear or avoidance of certain food textures smells, or tastes<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Obsessive rituals or behaviours associated with food consumption<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The onset of ARFID can be acute and occur at any point in a person\u2019s life or be long standing with onset reported at an early age. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research illustrates a wide range of ages, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds in individuals meeting <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/30758864\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">diagnostic criteria for ARFID<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f400104 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f400104\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_examples_of_ARFID\"><\/span>What are examples of ARFID? <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eab6e41 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"eab6e41\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the DSM-5 there are three \u2018drivers\u2019 of avoidant restrictive eating behaviour.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b>1) Avoidance based on sensory characteristics of food <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some individuals may be\u00a0 considered \u2018super sensors\u2019 as they have enhanced experience of the texture, taste or\u00a0 smell of foods. They may enjoy some strong flavours and specific textures but avoid\u00a0 many others. Conversely, many individuals show a strong preference for low flavour,\u00a0 colour and single texture foods such as plain pasta and may only accept a \u2018beige diet\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b>2) Apparent lack of interest in food or eating <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This driver may result from a low appetite &#8211; the individual not experiencing hunger as intensely as others &#8211; they may need\u00a0 to be reminded to eat. Some may be easily distracted finding it hard to focus on\u00a0 meal4mes, ocean seen in those with co-occurring aenon deficit hyperactivity\u00a0 disorder (ADHD). Hunger can also be inhibited by over-arousal due to anxiety or\u00a0 sensory overload.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b>3) Concern about aversive consequences of eating <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This driver describes individuals\u00a0 who have strong avoidance or food restriction as a result of a fear of negative\u00a0 consequences of eating, such as vomiting, choking or gastrointestinal discomfort.\u00a0 This may have developed following a negative experience. In some individuals there\u00a0 is fear-driven avoidance based on the sensory characteristics of food. A combination\u00a0 of an anxious temperament, lived experience of threat from food and other psycho social factors may all contribute to fear-based avoidance of food. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b1516ae elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b1516ae\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dealing_with_ARFID\"><\/span>Dealing with ARFID <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4d27bd8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4d27bd8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"flex-1 overflow-hidden\"><div class=\"react-scroll-to-bottom--css-dmutu-79elbk h-full dark:bg-gray-800\"><div class=\"react-scroll-to-bottom--css-dmutu-1n7m0yu\"><div class=\"flex flex-col text-sm dark:bg-gray-800\"><div class=\"group w-full text-token-text-primary border-b border-black\/10 dark:border-gray-900\/50 bg-gray-50 dark:bg-[#444654]\"><div class=\"flex p-4 gap-4 text-base md:gap-6 md:max-w-2xl lg:max-w-[38rem] xl:max-w-3xl md:py-6 lg:px-0 m-auto\"><div class=\"relative flex w-[calc(100%-50px)] flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3 lg:w-[calc(100%-115px)]\"><div class=\"flex flex-grow flex-col gap-3\"><div class=\"min-h-[20px] flex flex-col items-start gap-3 overflow-x-auto whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\"><div class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert light\"><p>Comprehending the signs and symptoms of ARFID is vital, especially when asking &#8220;what is an ARFID eating disorder.&#8221; Recognised formally, it can now be tackled personally and clinically. Appreciating the unique trials that adults and children with ARFID face opens doors to heightened public awareness, increased empathy, and more impactful <a href=\"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/arfid-treatment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ARFID treatment<\/a> strategies. Through proper support and treatment, individuals wrestling with ARFID can rediscover a healthier connection with food, paving the way for fulfilling lives ahead.<\/p><p>Don&#8217;t forget to also read this post about Exploring the Efficacy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/cbt-treatment-of-arfid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CBT for ARFID<\/a> by clicking the link.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"flex flex-col text-sm dark:bg-gray-800\">\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\">3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span> What is an ARFID eating disorder? ARFID &#8211; Avoidant\/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder &#8211; is an eating disorder characterised by an extreme and persistent avoidance of &#8211; or restriction to &#8211; certain foods or food groups. This disorder can have a significant negative impact on physical, social and nutritional health. ARFID v \u201cPicky eating\u201d ARFID should&hellip; <br \/> <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/what-is-an-arfid-eating-disorder\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6010,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[108,109,85,84],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6004"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6004"}],"version-history":[{"count":41,"href":"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6004\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6361,"href":"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6004\/revisions\/6361"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monahansen.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}