Causes of AFRID

There can be many potential causes of ARFID. However, most people who suffer from food phobia have no idea about the origin of their eating disorder. I know for sure that I had absolutely no idea where my extremely picky eating habits came from and I still do not know to this very day!

Specialists in eating disorders have identified several common causes of food phobia. While these sources are somewhat frequently seen, the majority of people who seek treatment for avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) will not gain any insight as to why their eating imperatives began.

Therefore, I share this post for those who are curious about the cause of their avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. Just remember that it does not apply universally and in fact, most of the possible underlying causes will not apply to most people reading this. If one of these origins does apply to you, then it might be worth exploring during your treatment, if desired.

Early Childhood Causes of ARFID

Virtually all people who suffer from ARFID begin to demonstrate their finicky eating habits as children. Most affected youngsters are male and typically never really eat normally from a very early age. I clearly remember my strange eating habits at age 2 and these only became more restrictive when I became a full vegetarian at age 4.

What is it that causes some people to suffer such odd eating habits at an age which should be innocent and simple? This is one of the most important questions that mental health professionals struggle with, since the vast majority of their clients do not have a history of any early childhood trauma. In fact, most serious traumas that can be related to food tend to encourage alternate eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia.

In some rare instances, early childhood trauma (known or subconscious) may play a role in the development of ARFID. These traumas might include the loss of a parent or sibling, serious illness or injury at a young age or some other form of trauma, such as abuse and/or neglect.

Causes of ARFID in Adults

Adults who develop ARFID once grown, or worsen in their eating habits when mature, are usually conditioned into their selective eating habits due to several possible explanations:

Some people suffer trauma as adults that can also include illness, injury, neglect or abuse. These circumstances might have effects on eating habits in some people.

Many, many adults tend to develop eating habits that coincide with their ideology. This is why many people begin to shy away from eating meat, seafood, processed foods and other types of food once they develop an attitude condemning these foods as being unhealthy, unethical or otherwise unappealing.

Developing a chronic digestive disorder is surely a commonly cited reason for ARFID in adults. Since the diet of many people is poor in quality and consists of mostly processed garbage, many people demonstrate poor health due to inactivity and poor diet combined. The sedentary nature of many modern professions does not help matters… Once affected by a gut problem, some people tend to become far more reserved in their eating habits. Of course, a few individuals take this to an extreme and become very picky eaters.

My Own Causes of ARFID

I have spent much time trying to uncover my own reasons for developing ARFID at a really early age. I was the product of a broken home, with my parents being divorced prior to my first memories around age 2. I have a history of chronic pain also and know from my professional experience in the healthcare field that this type of suffering is often related to early childhood traumas. However, I had a happy childhood to my best remembrance and no one in my family could think of any reason to explain my strange eating habits. To me, it remains a mystery.

I have spent a tremendous amount of time using various self-help methods to get to the root cause of my psychoemotional turmoil. I used these tools to recover from chronic pain and to help millions of other people to do the same. I truly believe in the power of the mind to cause and cure, but I have not found any direct correlation to my selective eating habits in my past. I do feel a repressed sensitivity there and know that something bad did happen to me early in life. I can feel it, but can not pinpoint it. Maybe it’s for the best that I can’t…

In closing, I personally do not feel that discovering the cause of ARFID is really important in most people. Sure, a few individuals might benefit from uncovering some repression or suppression below the conscious surface, but for most of us, we can either live with the disorder or successfully treat it without knowing its exact origins.

I must make it crystal clear that knowing WHY you have ARFID will not inherently help you to get over it, nor will NOT knowing its origin prevent you from getting over it if you choose to pursue that goal…