Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ARFID

Cognitive behavioral therapy for ARFID is the most common form of professional intervention for treating avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. CBT can allow people to change their eating habits without using pharmacological products or undergoing any type of psychotherapy.

CBT has proven itself to be more effective than other forms of mental health services when it comes to improving and resolving most types of eating disorders. Occasionally, psychotherapy can provide better results when the cause of the eating disorder can be traced to specific (conscious or subconscious) traumatic events in life, particularly when these events occur in early childhood.

This fascinating post explores the application of cognitive behavioral therapy for avoidant restrictive food intake disorder. Although I never sought or received any type of mental health services for my own ARFID condition, I have worked with many people who have and I also maintain close professional relationships with some of the best care providers in the CBT industry. Therefore, for this post, I will skip editorializing and simply stick to the verified facts.

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ARFID?

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a proactive mental healthcare system that seeks to make changes in thought and perception (cognitive) and subsequent actions (behavioral). In essence, the therapy helps people to think differently and act (react) differently to their thoughts. CBT helps to evolve both the thought processes and actions of the person suffering from the eating disorder.

There are many possible practices involved in the therapy and these practices can be chosen and custom-tailored to fit the exact needs of every case profile. CBT is an active therapy, meaning that the client is actively involved in their own treatment. They will be asked to do work in session, as well as work on their own in their day to day life in order to achieve optimal results from therapy.

Since CBT first challenges thought before influencing action, it is considered one of the best ways of dealing with people with ingrained poor eating habits. Once the person’s mindset can be evolved forward to better understand and appreciate food diversity, then behavior patterns will be much easier to change, as well.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Pros and Cons for ARFID

Let’s first explore some of the many excellent points of cognitive behavior therapy:

CBT can be very effective for helping a motivated person to overcome even the most extreme forms of avoidant restrictive food intake disorder.

CBT might be covered under some forms of health insurance, making it far less of a financial burden to pursue as a treatment option.

CBT can be really tailored to each client. If a particular strategy or practice works well, it can be adapted for other uses. If a particular practice or strategy fails, it can be easily abandoned in favor of more effective methods.

CBT is a regulated form of therapy and does not involve any harmful interventions, such as those suffered by people who utilize pharmacological products as part of their treatment routine.

On the downside, cognitive behavioral therapy also has some important considerations which make it less than perfect for every person with ARFID:

Like all ARFID therapies, the client’s motivation for change is the best predictor of success. A person who does not want to change will probably not fare well during even the most well executed CBT therapy.

The time commitment can be substantial. Therapy might take a very long time, especially in adults with long ingrained and rigidly held food-related beliefs and behaviors.

Many people do not have healthcare coverage for CBT therapy. The out of pocket cost can be extremely high, making this therapeutic path out of reach for many people who could potentially benefit from it.

Some clients do not connect well with some therapists. This is unavoidable, but does reduce the effectiveness of therapy to a large degree.

In summation, if you are interested in pursuing CBT for ARFID instead of going the self-help route, then I strongly recommend seeking out a specialist in avoidant restrictive food intake disorder or at least a specialist in general eating disorders. This type of extreme specialization will help provide the optimal outcome for you after the considerable investment of time, effort and money inherent to treatment.