What is ARFID?
ARFID is an eating disorder whose symptoms include selective eating, feeding problems, or both. It generally leads to deficiencies in energy and nutrients, and for children, failure to put on weight.
Other problems experienced by an individual with ARFID include gastrointestinal problems in consuming food; rejection of specific foods because of color, texture, smell, or taste; eating meager meals; or taking too long to eat.
Symptoms of ARFID
The following is a common list of ARFID symptoms to help you discern whether you or your child may need professional eating disorder treatment:
- Picky eating, or selective eating, as it is commonly known, is considered to be one of the most severe forms of food selectiveness.
- Discomfort when faced with so-called “fear” foods
- In adults, weight loss; in children, failure to catch up with weight
- Depending on the extent of malnutrition, one may require nutritional supplements, a feeding tube, or both.
- IOL; is especially related to texture, color, taste, smell, food groups, etc.
- After exposure to particular foods, constant vomiting or gagging
- Difficulty chewing food
- Lack of appetite
- Intolerance to some forms of foods
- Eating in small quantities or specifically taking very small bites of food.
- Feeding through a tube or from a bottle
- Social isolation
ARFID in Children and Adolescents
What is ARFID in children? ARFID is more prominent in children, with the majority of the cases seen in infants, and young kids, but it can also develop into adulthood. A preliminary study suggests that it may impact approximately 1-5% of kids, with boys more likely to develop ARFID, as per Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. Overall, an estimated 3. In the general population, 2% of individuals are affected by ARFID, with it ranging from 14% to 22%. According to Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 5% of children undergoing pediatric treatment programs have any type of eating disorder.
Is ARFID a mental disorder?
ARFID is an eating disorder, thus, it is a mental disease. ARFID is commonly accompanied by other conditions such as ASD, ADHD, and OCD.
How is ARFID different from other forms of eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia?
ARFID is also different from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa since the patient does not have a distorted perception of their body image, a fear of getting fat, or an obsession with their looks. However, they will delay growth or will not gain the right weight and mass if they are malnourished and have less energy intake, particularly from children.
ARFID is commonly found concomitantly with other disorders, including autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
ARFID Health Risks
While pure ARFID is not the same as other types of eating disorders, pure ARFID is also an eating disorder and, as such, has detrimental consequences for health when untreated.
Common health risks associated with ARFID include:
- Malnutrition
- Weight Loss
- Developmental delays
- Co-occurring anxiety disorders
- Weightless (non-gain) (children)
- Gastrointestinal complications
ARFID Treatment
Based on such characteristics of ARFID and given that this disorder is far more common among children, a comprehensive and highly individualized approach to treatment is required in the majority of cases.
ARFID IOP Walden Behavioral Care provides specialized ARFID IOP services to people and their loved ones suffering from ARFID. Some of our ARFID treatment programs include a special focus on both pediatric and adolescent patients; the programs employ the use of family-based therapy, which we have observed to reduce the likelihood of having disordered behavior; and enhance the the probability of having a normal diet and better long-term treatment outcomes.
