Symptoms Of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
- A lack of appetite and an unwillingness to eat.
- Food avoidance based on sensory characteristics such as texture, appearance, color, or smell.
- Anxiety or concern about consequences of digestion, such as fear of nausea, choking, vomiting, constipation, an allergic reaction, etc. As a result of a significant negative event, such as choking or food poisoning, the individual may avoid eating an increasing variety of foods.
Among the following symptoms are required for the diagnosis of ARFID:
- Children who lose a significant amount of weight (or who don’t gain as much weight as expected).
- Nutritional deficiencies are significant.
- Maintaining proper nutritional intake requires oral nutritional supplements or a feeding tube.
- Interference with social functioning (like inability to eat with others).
Physical and psychological effects, as well as levels of malnutrition, can be comparable to anorexia nervosa. In contrast, people with ARFID do not show excessive concerns about their body shape or weight, and the disorder differs from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Similarly, even though individuals with autism spectrum disorder often possess rigid eating behaviors or sensory sensitivities, they do not necessarily suffer from the level of impairment required for a diagnosis of ARFID.
ARFID excludes food restriction related to lack of food availability; normal dieting; developmentally normal behaviors, such as children who are picky eaters or cultural practices, such as religious fasting.
Food avoidance or restriction usually begins in infancy or early childhood, and may continue into adulthood. A person can develop it at any age, however. Regardless of the age of the individual affected by ARFID, it can affect families, causing additional stress at mealtimes and in social eating situations.