[ARFID: food restriction without fear of weight gain]

Avoidant/restrictive food avoidance disorder, or ARFID, is characterized by restrictive eating or avoidance of food in the absence of the cognitive restraint and weight phobia typically seen in anorexia nervosa. It is often based on a general disinterest in eating, selective eating due to sensory preferences, and/or fear of adverse consequences such as choking, although the diagnostic criteria allow for a number of other clinical presentations. Patients with ARFID tend to be younger, more often male, and have a longer duration of illness compared to patients with other eating disorders. Delimitation from other disorders affecting food intake can sometimes be problematic. Established specialized treatment models for restrictive eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa appears to be potentially effective in ARFID as well, but prospective treatment studies are much needed.