There are various types of eating/feeding disorders that present in young children and adolescents. Anorexia nervosa involves severe restriction of food intake, intense fear of gaining weight, and distorted body image. Bulimia nervosa includes episodes of binge eating followed by purging behaviors such as vomiting or excessive exercise. Binge eating disorder features recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food in a short period, often accompanied by a sense of loss of control. Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is characterized by limited food intake due to sensory sensitivities, fear of aversive consequences, or lack of interest in eating. Pica is a disorder characterized by persistent eating of non-food substances.

 

The cause of this disorder may be due to an underlying medical conditions and require blood work. Lastly, other specified feeding or eating disorders (OSFED) encompass a range of disordered eating behaviors that do not fully meet the criteria for the aforementioned disorders but still cause significant distress or impairment. It is important to note that depending on the severity of your child’s eating disorder, inpatient treatment or hospitalization may be required.