Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a new diagnosis in the DSM-5, and was previously referred to as “Selective Eating Disorder.” ARFID is similar to anorexia in that both disorders involve limitations in the amount and/or types of food consumed, but unlike anorexia, ARFID does not involve any distress about body shape or size, or fears of fatness.

Although many children go through phases of picky or selective eating, a person with ARFID does not consume enough calories to grow and develop properly and, in adults, to maintain basic body function. In children, this results in stalled weight gain and vertical growth; in adults, this results in weight loss. ARFID can also result in problems at school or work, due to difficulties eating with others and extended times needed to eat.

Zapletal A, Raviskanthan SB, Mortensen PW, Lee AG. Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension After Avoidant/Restrictive Eating Disorder. J Neuroophthalmol. 2022 Jan 19. doi: 10.1097/WNO.0000000000001528. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35086124.