Final answer:
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), also known as Selective Eating Disorder, is characterized by avoiding or restricting food intake not due to image but instead due to taste, texture, or past experiences. It can lead to significant health issues and often requires professional treatment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), also known as Selective Eating Disorder, is a type of eating disorder characterized by a pattern of avoiding certain foods or restricting intake, though not primarily driven by concerns about body weight or shape. Unlike anorexia nervosa and bulimia, ARFID does not involve distress about body size or an unhealthy pursuit of thinness. Individuals with ARFID experience disturbed eating either because of a lack of interest in eating or distaste for certain smells, tastes, colors, textures, or temperatures of foods.
ARFID can lead to serious nutritional deficiencies and weight loss, and it often coincides with other mental health issues, such as anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders. It isn't as well-known as anorexia or bulimia, yet it has significant health consequences and requires medical attention and treatment. Although the exact cause of ARFID is not known, factors such as past negative experiences with food, sensory sensitivities, and psychological conditions may contribute to its development.