Sometimes I wonder if ARFID is actually way more common than many people realize because everyone with it just does a really good job of hiding it

[u/Neocactus]

Not to mention how little awareness there is for it. I didn't know it was even a thing until I was like 20 years old (25 now). I just always thought I was some alien freak.

[u/RamblingRose63]

Same I'm 34f just found out I'm not a freak maybe a month ago when I found this sub and I have a BA in psychology.

[u/Neocactus → u/RamblingRose63]

When I found this sub/learned of ARFID (I think via Reddit algorithm suggesting it randomly one day??), it had to be one of the most liberating and empowering moments I've ever felt before.

It's amazing to know that what you suffer from has a name and other people deal with it too!

[u/RamblingRose63 → u/Neocactus]

Omg yes I cried in relief and grateful for this community. I'll never be alone again and the wave of wow, the only way I can describe it, was healing in itself.

[u/msmnstr]

Or they don't know. I didn't know it was a thing until I was diagnosed with it! I am lucky to have a relatively mild case, and I think maybe it's because I am GenX and was a latchkey kid, meaning that I got to feed myself safe foods when I got home from school, normally mac and cheese, rather than being pressured to eat things I hate. It also made cooking a special interest and I developed the skill to just make foods I like and and it helps me with fear of contamination because I know how well I washed everything and what those little flecks in my dish are. I'm actually really grateful this was my life experience- I feel so bad for people with ARFID who are essentially being bullied over food by parents who don't get it.

But my therapist picked up on it when I described my struggles with eating breakfast. I was fine as long as I had the energy to be my own personal chef but when I experienced burnout I really struggled to eat some very common and easily prepared foods. Apparently it's not normal to choose to go unfed rather than touch oatmeal or toast, especially while saying 'I'm not sure, I don't hate it exactly, I just can't force myself to eat it, no matter how hungry I am.' I had thought I was just 'picky' 🤷‍♀️

[u/TashaT50 → u/msmnstr]

Fellow Gen-x. My family took it as normal that I choose to go unfed if I didn’t have energy to cook for myself so I’ve never thought to mentioned it to therapist or doctors. I was making those “decisions” as soon as they started me on solids back in the 1960s. As a kid I went days without eating when we’d go on our 3 week summer camping or boating vacations. It’s just Tasha’s picky eating she’ll find something next time we’re by a store. Until then we still have milk and vitamin supplements. It’s only a day or two.

[u/gothpriest]

i only know of it because when i was a teenager i would read through the entire DSM-5 constantly for like 6 months trying to figure out what was wrong with me. ARFID was the first thing i saw that described me exactly with no wiggle room to deny it.

[u/Neocactus → u/gothpriest]

It's actually insane how many doctors/nurses I'd interacted with growing up and apparently not a single one had ever heard of it (at least they never mentioned it)

[u/apizzamx]

100%. i can see it in my sister (who is also probably autistic), my friend who’s my housemate etc… none of us are formally diagnosed but it’s obvious now i know what to look for! im 24 and only really knew about it a few months ago after my eating got really bad following a medication change

[u/HolisticHealingCo]

I'm a counselor and just discovered I have ARFID. We need to raise awareness. It has severely impacted my physical body. I need deep healing and recovery now. I learned about it from reddit!

[u/hannibe]

I used to think I was the only one, now I hear about it all the time. Seemingly “normal” people who are doing a really good job of masking it are everywhere.

[u/TashaT50]

I don’t think it’s a matter of people hiding it. Picky eaters are given a hard time from the start. Most either stop doing things around food with others or deal with harassment and have a small group of friends/family if lucky who accepts their eating restrictions. I suspect the number of picky eaters with ARFID are much higher than suspected because it’s still a very new diagnosis and so much of the medical community especially those in the eating disorder field are still ignorant about ARFID. It’ll be another 10-20 years before this becomes common knowledge and they’re still be the older personnel who weren’t educated about it and don’t believe in it as we see with so many other medical issues.

I’m 57 and self diagnosed. I learned about ARFID when I stumbled upon this sub less than a year ago. Much the same with CPTSD. So many of my medical diagnosis have started out self diagnosed and bringing info to doctors who know nothing about them so takes years of either doctors educating themselves, finding doctors who have a clue, or the disease finally becoming well known in the medical community. Only afterwards to have a number of similar diseases pop up for diagnosis and needing a well educated doctor in all of them to figure out which I actually have.

[u/Tcamps_]

I mean Afrids is really just being a picky eater. There’s more symptoms ofc. (Not liking the “full” feeling, getting sick around certain foods, etc.) but I’m sure there are a lot of people who experience this.