A case report on avoidant restrictive food intake disorder in an adolescent female

Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder as introduced in the DSM 5, is an eating or feeding disturbance manifested by persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs, associated with significant loss of body weight and nutritional deficiencies. The disorder should not occur during the course of anorexia or bulimia nervosa. We describe a 14-year old adolescent girl who presented with clinical features that met the above criteria, and discuss the diagnostic and management challenges, which occurred during the course of therapy. This case report outlines how the management of this presentation differs from that of a classical eating disorder.

The Sri Lanka Journal of Psychiatry Vol 6(1) : 35-37