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Abstract
Purpose of Review
Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a diagnostic term that was established 10 years ago to describe those patients with an eating disorder, mostly children and adolescents, who have poor nutrition that is not due to body image or weight concerns. This article reviews the diagnosis and subtypes of ARFID, as well as the medical, nutritional and psychological principles of evaluation and management of the disorder.
Recent Findings
In the past 10 years, clinicians have refined their approaches to managing the two major subtypes of ARFID: (1) those patients with a longer-term restriction in the amount and/or variety of the foods they eat, and (2) those patients with a shorter-term decrease in eating because of fear of aversive consequences such as vomiting, choking, GI symptoms or an allergic reaction to food. In that same time, the field of psychology has been developing evidence-based approaches to management of ARFID in each of its manifestations.
Summary
Each patient with ARFID presents with a unique set of medical, nutritional and psychological factors that requires an individualized and multi-disciplinary approach in the management of this difficult to treat disorder.
Details
1 Cohen Children’s Medical Center, Division of Adolescent Medicine, New Hyde Park, USA (GRID:grid.415338.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 7871 8733); Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, USA (GRID:grid.512756.2) (ISNI:0000 0004 0370 4759)
2 Zucker Hillside Hospital Northwell Health, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Glen Oaks, USA (GRID:grid.440243.5) (ISNI:0000 0004 0453 5950); Hofstra University, Hempstead, USA (GRID:grid.257060.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 2284 9943)
3 Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead, USA (GRID:grid.512756.2) (ISNI:0000 0004 0370 4759); Zucker Hillside Hospital Northwell Health, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Glen Oaks, USA (GRID:grid.440243.5) (ISNI:0000 0004 0453 5950)