Help for Teens With Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder |
Emma stepped into her middle school cafeteria and spotted her two friends already settled at their usual table. She was a little late—but for a reason. She knew what was on the menu today, beyond the always-available pizza, bagels, and mac and cheese.
The smell of fried fish and peeled oranges was already drifting through the room, rising from the kitchen and spilling onto other students’ plates. It turned her stomach. An hour earlier, she’d been hungry, but now her appetite vanished. Fish and oranges were among several smells that quietly shut down her desire to eat, transforming hunger into aversion.
Emma also noticed that her friends didn’t seem affected by the odors that overwhelmed her. The smell of bananas or oranges made her gag, yet her friends walked into the cafeteria without a second thought. Their ease only heightened her sense of isolation.
Emma felt embarrassed by her intense reactions to food smells and tastes—reactions she couldn’t control. It wasn’t just eating that was hard; simply entering a room where those smells lingered felt nearly impossible.
Emma had learned to make excuses when certain smells made eating with her friends unbearable. Some days—like today—she hoped the smell of fried fish wouldn’t drive her away. She just wanted to sit with her friends at lunch, eating the carefully packed meal she’d brought from home, safely free of foods she found overwhelming.
Emma had been diagnosed with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) just a few months earlier. Her physician became concerned when she wasn’t growing taller as expected for her age. When asked about Emma’s eating habits, her mother explained that Emma couldn’t tolerate foods containing bananas, oranges, apples, or most fruits—and the taste was even more unbearable than the smell. Emma avoided nearly all vegetables as well. When fish was cooking, the smell alone was enough to send her retreating to her room.
At first, before she knew about ARFID, Emma’s mother worried that her daughter might have an eating disorder. Emma wasn’t gaining weight like most kids her age. But unlike many of her peers, she wasn’t concerned about her body size and had no interest in knowing her weight. What upset Emma most was that she wasn’t growing. She desperately wanted to be taller.
Emma’s physician........