Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a classified eating disorder diagnosis with criteria outlined in both the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition and International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision. A diagnosis of ARFID should only be made by an adequately informed multidisciplinary team. ARFID is best understood as per the Venn diagram in Figure 1. Most of the time, a person struggling with ARFID will have more than one presentation. The potential signs of ARFID that may present in clinic are:
avoidance of whole food groups or sensory-specific food categories;
disgust response to foods/categories (for example, gagging or retching);
having a diet that is extremely limited to (usually less than 10) ‘preferred/safe foods’;
lack of interest in eating or missing meals completely (not feeling hungry);
avoidance of social food settings or environments (for example, unable to eat outside of the family home);
negatively impacted physical health status including reported weight loss, lack of growth, or symptoms consistent with nutritional deficiency;
needing to take supplements to meet their nutritional needs; and
sudden phobia or anxiety impacting food intake.
Figure 1. Clinical domains contributing to a diagnosis of avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)
Understanding ‘picky eating’ versus ARFID
‘Picky eating’ …
