Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a feeding or eating disorder in which individuals significantly limit the volume or variety of foods they consume, causing malnutrition, weight loss, or psychosocial problems. Unlike some eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, body image disturbance is not a root cause of ARFID. Individuals with ARFID may have trouble eating due to the sensory characteristics of food (e.g., appearance, smell, texture, or taste), executive dysfunction, emetophobia (fear of vomiting), fear of choking, low appetite, or a combination of these factors. While ARFID is most often associated with low weight, ARFID occurs across the entire weight spectrum.

ARFID was first included as a diagnosis in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) published in 2013, extending and replacing the diagnosis of feeding disorder of infancy or early childhood included in prior editions. It was subsequently also included in the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) published in 2022.