Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a feeding or eating disorder in which people avoid eating certain foods, or restrict their diets to the point it ultimately results in nutritional deficiencies. This can be due to the sensory characteristics of food, such as its appearance, smell, texture, or taste; due to fear of negative consequences such as choking or vomiting; having little interest in eating or food, or a combination of these factors. People with ARFID may also be afraid of trying new foods, a fear known as food neophobia.

This avoidance or restriction of food can lead to significant weight loss (or lack of appropriate growth or weight gain in children), nutritional deficiency, dependence on a feeding tube or supplements to meet nutritional needs, and negative effects on psychosocial functioning.

In contrast to anorexia and bulimia, the eating behavior in ARFID is not motivated by concerns about body weight or shape.

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) that came into effect in 2022.