Alarm over ‘extremely worrying’ sevenfold increase in the number of people seeking help for a little-known eating disorder
- Charity Beat says there has been a ‘worrying’ rise in avoidant food intake disorder AFRID
- The charity received 2,000 calls in 2023, up from 295 calls in 2018
The majority of toddlers and children will go through a fussy eating phase.
But a charity has warned of a boom in an eating disorder with similar symptoms, causing people to avoid certain foods.
Known as avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), this is when picky eating is so severe that people cannot meet their nutritional or energy needs.
Eating disorder charity Beat said its helpline received more than 2,000 calls about it last year – 10 percent of the total – and more than 295 five years earlier.
CEO Andrew Radford described the spike as “extremely worrying.”
Patients with ARFID usually avoid certain foods or limit what they eat, and the eating disorder can occur in children, teens, and adults
He said: ‘It is extremely worrying that there has been such a dramatic increase in the number of people seeking support for ARFID, especially as specialist care is not always readily available.
‘All too often we hear from people who were unable to get treatment close to home, or who had to wait months or even years for the help they needed.
‘ARFID is an eating disorder that rarely gets the attention it deserves, and it is unacceptable that the same seems to apply to the funding.
‘Now is the time for NHS decision-makers to ensure that anyone who needs support can get it from trained and fully equipped teams across the country.’
It was only medically recognized in 2013 and can affect people of any age, although it usually starts in childhood.
Symptoms include being a very selective eater and may have strong negative reactions to food smells, tastes, textures or colors.
Patients may be very fearful of new foods and worry about negative experiences related to unfamiliar foods.
Experts say it’s crucial to tackle the disease early, before it becomes entrenched and more difficult to treat.
An NHS spokesperson said: ‘During the pandemic, referrals for eating disorders for children have increased by almost 50 per cent and the NHS is clear that improving care for people with eating disorders, including ARFID, is vital, with investment , targeted support and training to help develop community eating disorder teams in all areas of England.
‘Since 2016, investment in eating disorder services for children and young people has increased every year, with an additional £54 million per year since last year, and additional funding continues to build the capacity of eating disorder teams in the community, including meeting the needs of people with eating disorders . ARFID, throughout the country.’