Diving Into The Psychology of Picky Eating May Reveal ARFID

On this week's episode, we look at a disease commonly confused for normal "picky eating," Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. This disorder, which is driven by fear, disgust, sensory sensitivity, and/or a lack of appetite, leads to malnutrition and vitamin deficiency - especially in children. We look at what this disorder is and isn't, variants, some of the possible underlying causes, complications, and available therapies.References:Houston JR. The recreational and economic value of Florida beaches. Shore & Beach. 2024;92(3):43.Florida Museum of Natural History. Yearly worldwide shark attack summary [Internet]. Gainesville (FL): Florida Museum of Natural History; 2026 Feb 17 [cited 2026 Jun 30]. Available from: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/yearly-worldwide-summary/.National Safety Council. Historical car crash deaths and rates [Internet]. Itasca (IL): National Safety Council; 2025 May 11 [cited 2026 Jun 30]. Available from: https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/historical-fatality-trends/deaths-and-rates/.Thomas JJ, Lawson EA, Micali N, Misra M, Deckersbach T, Eddy KT. Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder: a three-dimensional model of neurobiology with implications for etiology and treatment. Current psychiatry reports. 2017 Aug;19(8):54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-017-0795-5Sah P, Westbrook RF. The circuit of fear. Nature. 2008 Jul 31;454(7204):589-90. https://www.nature.com/articles/454589aMoreau CA, Ayrolles A, Ching CR, Bonicel R, Mathieu A, Stordeur C, El Khantour C, Bergeret P, Traut N, Tran L, Germanaud D. Neuroimaging insights into brain mechanisms of early-onset restrictive eating disorders. Nature Mental Health. 2025 Jul;3(7):780-8. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00447-xSchneider E, Schmidt R, Cryan JF, Hilbert A. A Role for the Microbiota‐Gut‐Brain Axis in Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder: A New Conceptual Model. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 2024 Dec;57(12):2321-8. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24326American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). 2013 May. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596Shimshoni Y, Silverman WK, Lebowitz ER. SPACE‐ARFID: A pilot trial of a novel parent‐based treatment for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 2020 Oct;53(10):1623-35.Share with a friend. Rate, Review, and Subscribe to MedEvidence! Articles to be notified when new episodes are released.Follow us on Social Media:FacebookInstagramTwitterLinkedInTiktokYoutubeFor more great content, including discussions by physicians and clinical research experts, check out the MedEvidence! Podcast and MedEvidence.comThank you for listening!