![]() In some cases a period of tube feeding may be recommended if physical risk is judged to be high.īeing limited in terms of what they can eat often causes people to experience significant difficulties at home, at school or college, at work and when with friends. In people whose food intake is very limited, nutritional supplements may be prescribed. In some people, serious weight loss or nutritional deficiencies may develop, which need treatment. When a person does not have an adequate diet because they are only able to eat a narrow range of foods, they may not get essential nutrients needed for their health, development and ability to function on a day-to-day basis. Children and young people with ARFID may fail to gain weight as expected and their growth may be affected, with a slowing in height increase. Key aspects of ARFID are that it can have a negative impact on the person’s physical health and as well as on their psychological wellbeing. “As a sibling I felt quite powerless but I learned a lot about what worked and what didn't, and came to appreciate how my brother felt rather than concentrating on what he did and didn't eat”. A diagnosis of ARFID would also not be given if there is another clear reason for the eating difficulty, such as a medical condition that results in appetite loss or digestive difficulties. Neither would it be diagnosed if there was a lack of available food or certain foods were being avoided because of allergies. In other people, it might have a more recent onset.ĪRFID would not be diagnosed in someone who is fasting or chooses not to eat certain foods for religious or cultural reasons alone. The eating difficulties someone with ARFID has, can have been present for a very long time, in some cases almost as long as they can remember. Nevertheless, all people who develop ARFID share the central feature of the presence of avoidance or restriction of food intake in terms of overall amount, range of foods eaten, or both.ĪRFID can be present on its own, or it can co-occur with other conditions those most commonly co-occurring with ARFID are anxiety disorders, autism, ADHD and a range of medical conditions. Because of this, ARFID is sometimes described as an ‘umbrella’ term – it includes a range of different types of difficulty. This means that ARFID might look quite different in one person compared to another. And sometimes, there is no clear reason or event that has led to someone developing ARFID. ![]() In other words, these examples are not mutually exclusive. It is very important to recognise that any one person can have one or more of these reasons behind their avoidance or restriction of food and eating at any one time. Such people may have restricted intake because of low interest in eating. For them, eating might seem a chore and not something that is enjoyed, resulting in them struggling to eat enough. In some cases, the person may not recognise that they are hungry in the way that others would, or they may generally have a poor appetite. Significant levels of fear or worry can lead to avoidance based on concern about the consequences of eating. Some people may experience more general worries about the consequences of eating that they find hard to put into words, and restrict their intake to what they regard as ‘safe’ foods. ![]() This can cause the person to develop feelings of fear and anxiety around food or eating, and lead to them to avoiding certain foods or textures. They may have had a distressing experience with food, such as choking or vomiting, or experiencing significant abdominal pain. This can lead to sensory-based avoidance or restriction of intake. They might be very sensitive to the taste, texture, smell, or appearance of certain types of food, or only able to eat foods at a certain temperature. You might see these referred to as subtypes of ARFID: The most common are the following three reasons. Someone might be avoiding and/or restricting their food for a number of different reasons. "A lot of people don’t understand and just think she’s fussy and doing it for attention”. It can occur at any weight and varies in different people. Although people with ARFID may lose weight or have low weight, this is not a criteria for ARFID. It occurs in children, teenagers and adults. What is Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder?Īvoidant restrictive food intake disorder, more commonly known as ARFID, is a condition characterised by the person avoiding certain foods or types of food, having restricted intake in terms of overall amount eaten, or both.Īnyone of any age can have ARFID.
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