Once when I met with a new registered dietitian for the first time, I mentioned my eating disorder. She immediately assumed it was anorexia nervosa. When I began to explain that it wasn’t, she cut me off – “is it bulimia?” Attempting to contain my frustration, I said, “no, I have ARFID.” Her response was, “what’s ARFID?”
This wasn’t the first time I’d been asked this question by a medical professional. My eating disorder is far less common than the ones most people grow up hearing about, and even rarer because I’m an adult. ARFID stands for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and is characterized by a lack of interest in food, avoidance based on sensory sensitivity to certain foods, and/or a fear of eating due to a traumatic experience (like choking or vomiting).
The distinguishing factor that separates ARFID from other eating disorders, like anorexia or bulimia, is that body image issues are not a core aspect of the eating disorder — however, some folks struggling with ARFID do experience body dissatisfaction or fear of fatness.
While ARFID isn’t as widely known or common as other eating disorders, it still impacts millions of Americans. People with ARFID constitute about 14% of those seeking treatment for an eating disorder. Most of these patients with ARFID are children and adolescents – the average ARFID patient is 12 years old – but many adults also suffer from ARFID or someone can struggle with ARFID from childhood into adulthood, as was my experience.