Eating Disorders (ED) Team

AN is a serious medical condition characterised by restricted oral intake, resulting in low body weight and a significantly compromised physical state. The person often has limited insight into their illness, due to the physical effects of severe malnutrition. It is accompanied with distorted beliefs around body image; weight and shape concerns; and an intense fear of gaining weight (a person may present with body dysmorphia). Alongside restricted oral intake, purging behaviours may be present e.g. excessive exercise, self-induced vomiting, misuse of diet pills, laxatives and/or diuretics.  

Some young people with AN may not have physically low weight; if they have previously been overweight and are losing weight rapidly, they may be medically compromised despite being a ‘healthy’ BMI. 

ARFID is characterised by the person avoiding certain foods or types of food. Somone with ARFID can also restrict intake in terms of the overall amount eaten. Unlike AN eating difficulties are not driven by body image, weight or shape concerns. ARFID can result in significant weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, and impact on family, friendships, home life and school/college. ARFID is usually due to the following reasons:  

Sensory Sensitivities – the individual might be very sensitive to the taste, texture, smell, or appearance of certain types of food, or only able to eat foods at a certain temperature. This can lead to sensory-based avoidance or restriction of intake. ARFID often co-occurs with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC).   

Fear of aversive consequences – this could be due to traumatic experiences with food, such as choking, vomiting, or experiencing pain when eating or specific anxieties or obsessional thoughts. This can cause the person to develop feelings of fear and anxiety around food and/or fluids, resulting in avoidance.  

Lack of interest - in some cases, the person may not recognise that they are hungry in the way that others would; view eating as a chore; or they may generally have a poor appetite, resulting in them struggling to eat enough. When this is paired with low mood and anxiety eating becomes even harder.  

BN is characterised by a pattern of eating large quantities of food (bingeing), and then compensating for the overeating (purging), typically in the form of self-induced vomiting; laxative or diuretic misuse; restricting oral intake; or excessive exercise. This is accompanied with a sense of loss of control over their eating, as well as distorted beliefs around body image; weight and shape concerns, and a fear of gaining weight. Whilst a person may have a ‘healthy’ (or higher) body weight with BN; there are several serious physical risks associated with purging behaviours e.g. electrolyte imbalance, which may result in them becoming medically compromised requiring stabilisation. Behaviours are usually very secretive, meaning others can be unaware of their difficulties. 

Anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder and ARFID are diagnosed with specific behavioural, psychological, and physical criteria and symptoms. Sometimes a person’s symptoms do not fit these typical criteria, and they may have a diagnosis of OSFED instead. This includes atypical anorexia and bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder of low frequency/ limited duration. This does not mean the eating disorder is any less serious. Sometimes people’s eating disorders do not meet full criteria as they have been caught early by parents and carers, or services. 

The UK’s ED charity. Personal stories, resources, peer support and much more.

Targeted support for people with eating disroders on the autistic spectrum.

Scotland’s community eating disorder charity, running support groups across the country.

Around the Dinner Table Forum for Parents. It is moderated by kind, experienced, parent caregivers trained to guide you in how to use the forum and how to find resources to help you support your family member.