On this week's episode, my guest discusses living with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). This is a relatively new diagnosis, added to the DSM in 2013. Many medical professionals are probably not familiar with it or may recall learning about its predecessor, selective eating disorder.
David is my cousin. My earliest memories of him are from when he was maybe 9 years old. Even then, his eating habits were legendary in our family. I remember A1 sauce, bagels with cream cheese, and grilled chicken without any grill lines on it were a few of (maybe the majority off) the mainstays of his diet for years. As you will hear, he was in therapy for some other issues around 2019 when he actually received the ARFID diagnosis.
Getting a diagnosis was extremely helpful for him. He realized that he was not the only person in the world who had similar issues with food. With the help of his therapist and a nutritionist he learned strategies for incorporating new foods into his diet and has been working hard to expand his palate. Earlier this year he traveled to a resort in the Dominican Republic which he would not have been comfortable doing in the past for fear of having no available food options that he could stand.
In our conversation David revealed many aspects of this disorder that would never have occurred to me. People without eating disorders likely take for granted the outsized role food plays in our social lives and don't generally give it a second thought. The only discomfort I have ever felt around food in social situations is trying not to eat too much of it, either because I am dieting or because I am afraid of appearing gluttonous to those around me. I can say I have never avoided a social gathering because of concerns around food, though.
I think this is a very clear example of why it's good to listen to our patients. Even if you memorize the ARFID criteria in the DSM you still would not have a comprehensive understanding of how it affects a person's life who has to deal with it.
Thanks to David for sharing his story with me and thanks to you for listening! I hope you enjoy it!
- Jody
