ARFID Treatment in Rockville, Maryland

By: Megan Samuels, MSW, LCSW-C, Trauma and Eating Disorder Therapist

The Eating Disorder Center provides ARFID therapy in Rockville, Maryland, serving Bethesda, Potomac, Gaithersburg, and Olney - and virtually throughout Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. 
ARFID, or Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, is an eating disorder that often goes undiagnosed or is mistakenly attributed to "picky eating." Although ARFID was not always recognized as a distinct disorder, it was included in the DSM-5, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

The DSM-5 outlines the following criteria for diagnosing ARFID:
 
A. A feeding or eating disturbance (such as a lack of interest in food, avoidance due to sensory characteristics, or concerns about negative consequences of eating) that leads to a persistent inability to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs. This is associated with one (or more) of the following:

• Significant weight loss (or failure to gain weight as expected, or growth issues in children).
• Notable nutritional deficiencies.
• Reliance on enteral feeding or oral nutritional supplements.
• Significant interference with social or psychological functioning. 

B. The eating disturbance is not due to a lack of available food or a culturally accepted practice. 

C. The disturbance is not solely explained by anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, and there is no distortion in body image. 
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D. The eating disturbance is not linked to any other medical condition or better explained by another mental health disorder. If it occurs alongside another condition, the severity of the eating issue exceeds what would typically be expected for that condition, necessitating additional clinical attention.

ARFID is different from other eating disorders because it primarily involves avoidance or disinterest in food due to sensory experiences or fear of negative consequences, rather than a focus on changing one’s body shape or appearance. At The Eating Disorder Center, we have experienced therapists who treat ARFID and co-occurring issues. 

Children, teens, and adults can struggle and be diagnosed with ARFID. Sometimes ARFID will look like someone having a lack of appetite or no interest in food. Other times, someone may have an aversion to certain foods based on the texture or quality of the food. ARFID can also present when someone has had a bad experience with a food and now avoids the food in fear of another bad experience. Over time, the restriction of food variety and amount of food can increase and create issues around nutritional deficiencies, or general functioning in work, school, social situations, etc.

Some possible warning signs of ARFID may include:

• A very limited range of "safe" foods
• Lack of variety in foods consumed
• Nutritional deficiencies and weight loss
• Preference for foods with specific textures or shapes
• General disinterest in eating 

What does recovery from ARFID look like? Typically, recovery involves a team of professionals: an ARFID therapist, a dietitian, and a doctor. The therapist works on treating the eating disorder, conducting food exposures, and addressing any underlying issues such as anxiety or depression. The dietitian ensures that the individual is getting adequate nutrition and guides food exposures. The doctor monitors health and ensures that lab results and overall nutrition are in a healthy range.

We specialize in providing therapy for ARFID and can help you or your loved one to reclaim your life. Therapy can help! Living with untreated ARFID can be exhausting and really limiting to your life, as it often involves eating a very small number of foods. This can make socializing and other areas of your life difficult and isolating. 

The Eating Disorder Center uses effective modalities including cognitive behavior therapy, acceptance commitment therapy, exposure and response prevention in the treatment of ARFID. 

If you are struggling with ARFID, take the first step and reach out to us to be connected with a clinician who has experience treating ARFID.  You don’t have to do this alone!  Reach out to us by filling out our website contact form or calling us at 301-246-6856.

ARFID can often co-occur with other mental health disorders.  In addition to experts in ARFID diagnosis and treatment, we also have therapists who specialize in ARFID co-occurring with trauma, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and mood disorders. 

In addition to ARFID treatment, we provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, Maryland, and virtually throughout Maryland for children, teens, and adults struggling with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, OSFED, orthorexia, and compulsive exercise. We also offer eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and throughout the state of Virginia, as well as in Washington D.C.

Schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation to explore how ARFID therapy or eating disorder recovery coaching can help you to find food freedom.

🌟 Eating disorder therapy in MD, VA, DC, PA, NY, FL, and CA
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The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, and California. We provide eating disorder and EMDR trauma therapy in Rockville, Maryland and virtually throughout Maryland and Virginia. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com​

References:
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

*Disclaimer: The information is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for your independent medical decision-making nor a recommendation or endorsement for any particular treatment plan, organization, provider, professional service, or product.