A search of Google’s Top searches of 2018 shows some interesting statistics on the topic of eating disorder.

Although not the top search in the category of “eating disorder”, the fastest rising search term was for “arfid eating  disorder”. In fact, searches for the term “arfid eating disorder” were up 700% from 2017. So why are so many people searching for this term?

Arfid stands for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

An ARFID diagnosis describes a disorder where an individual struggles to obtain adequate nutrition, in the absence of the fear of weight gain &/or preoccupation with weight and shape that characterises AN, BN or OSFED. Feeding or eating disturbances such as lack of interest in food or lack of appetite, aversion to certain textures, or feared consequences of eating (not weight/shape based) lead to weight loss and difficulty maintained a healthy weight.