Avoidant & Restrictive Food Intake
Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), previously known as feeding disorder, is a type of eating disorder in which people eat only within an extremely narrow repertoire of foods.[1] It is a serious mental health condition that causes the individual to restrict food intake by volume and/or variety.[2] This avoidance may be based on appearance, smell, taste, texture (because of sensory sensitivity), brand, presentation, fear of aversive consequences, lack of interest in food, or a past negative experience with the food, to a point that may lead to nutritional deficiencies, failure to thrive, or other negative health outcomes.[2][3][4] The fixation is not caused by a concern for body appearance or in an attempt to lose weight. [5]
Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: W020
Diagnosis: Avoidant & Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
US Patients:
World Patients:
Sex Ratio:
Age Onset:
Brain Area:
Symptoms: eat only a very narrow menu of foods; cannot change eating habits
Progression: may exclude all fruits or all vegetable; certain certain colors, soft, etc. May still have digestive problems.
Causes:
Medications: relaxation, systematic desensitization and review
Therapies: With adults, may disappear spontaneously; with cognitive behavior therapies.
Yuoutube Video: Living with Avoidant Restrictive
Food Intake Disorder
Amazon or Library Book: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
(Talking Therapy) for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
Click the book to link or order from Amazon.
Support Group: balancedtx.com, prior sign-up is required. (This group is based in New York City. I don’t know if it includes other areas.)
Contact your local Social Security office for possible Disability Benefits through their Disability Determination Services, Section 12.08.
4 CURRENT ARTICLES
FROM PUBMED
The world-wide medical research
reports chosen for each diagnosis
Clicking each title opens the
PubMed article’s summary-abstract.
- Measurement Invariance on the Nine-Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen (NIAS) by Age and Reporter Status: Comparing ARFID Symptoms Among Self-Reporting Adults and Adolescents and Parent Reports of Children and Adolescentsby Wesley R Barnhart on January 20, 2025
OBJECTIVE: Self-report measures of ARFID symptoms (e.g., Nine-Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen [NIAS]) are used to assess symptom differences between groups. Measurement invariance techniques clarify if groups interpret a measure similarly, providing a foundation for examining group differences. Considering age and reporter status (e.g., parent vs. self-report), we investigated measurement invariance of the NIAS in (1) self-reporting adults vs. adolescents; (2) parent...
- Latent Trajectories of Change in Dietary Restriction During Treatment in Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and Anorexia Nervosaby Sophie R Abber on January 20, 2025
OBJECTIVE: Outcomes for low-weight restrictive eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, restricting type (AN-R) and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), are sub-optimal. Reducing dietary restriction is a key treatment target. Understanding heterogeneity in patterns of change in dietary restriction may aid in improving outcomes. We examined latent trajectories of change in dietary restriction during treatment and follow-up in AN-R and ARFID.
- Elevating the Discourse on the Comorbidity and Treatment of Eating Disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Commentary on Inal-Kaleli et al. and Nimbley et alby Jennifer J Thomas on January 17, 2025
Two recent review papers published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders have considerably elevated the rigor of scholarship on the comorbidity between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and eating disorders. One paper reported that more than one-quarter of individuals with acute anorexia nervosa also have ASD, and that autistic traits are positively correlated with eating disorder psychopathology. The other paper reported that, compared to individuals with low autistic traits, those with...
- Differences in Perceived Versus Actual Sensory Perception in Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorderby Julia Gydus on January 17, 2025
CONCLUSION: These first laboratory findings in a clinically diagnosed sample of individuals with full/subthreshold ARFID highlight the discrepancy between perceived versus actual sensitivity to taste/smell stimuli. Future research should explore whether this discrepancy can be replicated and therapeutically leveraged to facilitate successful food exposures.