A Useful and Timely Proposal to Amend Diagnostic Criteria for ARFID: Commentary on Zickgraf et al. (2025)

Diagnostic criteria for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) were introduced in DSM-5 in 2013. In the ensuing years, substantial research has clarified the clinical characteristics, complications, and possible treatments for individuals with ARFID. On the basis of this emerging knowledge, in the current issue of the International Journal of Eating Disorders, Zickgraf et al. usefully propose a revision of the diagnostic criteria. The proposed revisions would bring the structure of the criteria more in line with the criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Zickgraf et al. also propose that ARFID could be diagnosed in the presence of another eating disorder, thereby differing from the current nosological hierarchy for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Zickgraf et al. have done our field a significant service with their thoughtful proposal. Research is now needed to evaluate the performance of the suggested criteria.