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Hypnosis for treating Selective Eating Disorder (SED) - Avoidant / Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

jessypixie
Community Member

Hey beautiful people,

Just wondering if anyone has or knows anyone that suffers from Selective Eating Disorder (SED) - Avoidant / Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)??

It is only a recently recognised "Eating Disorder", but I have been trying to seek help with this for years. Because of suffering from this for 27 years of my life, I have also developed and suffered with Panic/Anxiety disorder for the past 6 years.

I guess I'm just curious to know if there is anyone on this forum that knows/understands what I'm going through? Trying to find information/ support groups is really really hard.

I hope your day is a happy and positive one, thank you all for taking the time to read this

Peace & Love - Jessypixie

7 Replies 7

Zeal
Community Member

Hey jessypixie,

Sorry you had to wait so long for a reply!

While I've never been diagnosed with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, I too have experienced disordered eating. I was diagnosed with Anorexia at 19, and spent two months in hospital. The diagnosis was made by my psychiatrist, on the grounds that I was severely underweight and ate a low-energy diet. He did comment that my overall presentation could almost be classified as an Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder. I did not stop eating meals, but instead ate only 'healthy food', and not enough of it to provide the energy/kilojoules I required.

I highly recommend the resources on this webpage: http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/consumers.cfm
The resources called Panic Stations and What? Me, Worry!?! would be a good reference for you. The resource on disordered eating does not mention your specific diagnosis, but you may want to check it out anyway. There are some general activities that are not diagnosis-specific.

I hope you can talk to someone with the same diagnosis as you 🙂

Best wishes,

Zeal

jessypixie
Community Member

Hey Zeal

Thanks so much for sharing and the recommendations. I will check these out right away. The more information I can get the better.

Hope you've had a fab day, and thanks again

Jessy

Zeal
Community Member

Hey Jessy,

Thank you for the positive feedback. You're right - knowledge is power! I have had a nice day, thanks. I've been on the forum posting, and also watching a TV series called In Treatment. I love psychology and finished a psych degree late last year, so this show is fascinating to me! haha

Good luck with finding more information. You can post back here again, start a new thread or respond to others whenever you like 🙂

Best wishes,

Zeal

jessypixie
Community Member

Hey Zeal

In Treatment? That sounds like an interesting show 🙂 Congrats on finishing your psych degree! Good luck on your journey, and your so right, "Knowledge is power!"

I love this website and reading people's stories on forums

Jessy

Blackie98
Community Member

Hi Jessypixie, my son has been going through this his whole life, he is now 19 years old. He also has bad anxiety and depression. We have seen numerous "professionals" but no one seems to take the ARFID thing seriously. Stumbled on this website today and just wanted to say how good it is to finally know he's not alone. Hope you are going well with your journey

Hi Blackie98

Welcome to the forums and for having the courage to post too!

I empathize with your son's anxiety/depression Blackie. That is an awful place to be in as I have been going through the same for a long time now and its an awful place to be in

This thread topic by Jessypixie is an old thread topic and Jessy isnt currently active on the forums.(Just fyi)

You are more than welcome to start your own thread topic about ARFID if you want. There are many people like myself that didnt know what the abbreviation stands for. If you choose to start a new thread about ARFID...people will have a greater understanding of this disorder.

I really hope you can be a part of the forums Blackie!

Have a great weekend too

Paul

theycallitpoppylove
Community Member

Hi everyone. I'm glad to have found this thread.

Our 4½ year old grandson is on the autism spectrum, and has been diagnosed with ARFID. His eating is regressing, and all he will eat now is olives, chocolate, sustagen and orange juice. We're at our wit's end with worry.

I'm guessing that he is too young for hypnosis, but we have no idea where else to turn. The Royal Children's Hospital won't accept him into their eating disorder program because he's outside their catchment area, and there just doesn't seem to be any meaningful help.

Any and all suggestions are more than welcome