Eating Disorders That Are Often Overlooked
exploring uncommon ED types
Soumya Chavarkar
7/26/20263 min read
In today’s world, eating disorders are more common than we believe, but rarely addressed. Individuals often suppose that the only eating disorders are the 3 common types: Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder (BED). These are the most frequently spoken about in school health classes, recognized by organizations, and in society; however, there are other nuanced forms of eating disorders, such as ARFID, SEED, and PICA, that are often overlooked and are often mistaken as simply “picky eating.”
Most of the time, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is only ever seen in kids, but it is also prevalent in adults. ARFID is an eating disorder characterized by restrictive eating habits that lead to medical dysfunction. These eating behaviors are not driven by the desire to achieve a certain body or weight type, but are driven by sensory sensitivity and other food factors. Due to the low intake of food, people with this disorder often lose weight, stunt growth, and develop nutritional deficiencies. In recent studies, it has been seen in 2.02 of 100,000 children, and with limited data on adults, 7.4% of adults tested positive. AFRID has a small scope of data only on one demographic, but as more studies are conducted and more of society recognizes ARFID, scientists can gather more data.
Pica is another eating disorder that is seen in childhood, but has yet to be studied in adulthood. Pica is characterized by eating non-food substances like dirt, paint, clay, paper, and other non-nutritive items. Pica is most commonly seen in children and pregnant women, but can affect anyone. Pica is a rare condition that often shows in people with schizophrenia, intellectual disabilities, and malnutrition. Pica can cause anemia, constipation, dental erosion, and other medical complications.
OSFED, Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders, is a classification, not an actual eating disorder. It classifies eating disorders that don’t meet the criteria of other eating disorders even with similar symptoms. People diagnosed with OSFED exhibit symptoms of disordered eating but to a lesser degree.
SEED, severe and enduring eating disorder, is not an eating disorder diagnosis, but a term to define very serious and long-lasting eating disorders. This term was first used in the 1980s and has since then been used to describe the duration of an eating disorder and their failed attempts. Though this is not an exact universal definition, scientists can agree on the three features — duration, severity, and treatment response to define SEED. It is not agreed upon whether 3 years or 10 years defines as enduring. While it is often assumed that people who have been ill for a long period won’t recover, a recent study resulted in half of the patients with enduring disorders recovered.
Not all eating disorders are limited to the most commonly observed ones; there are multiple different types and categories of eating disorders. And not all are caused by the desire to look a certain way, but are caused by food factors and compulsive behaviors. Next time you see a person with an uncommon disorder, they are not a picky eater.
Works Cited
Brownlow, Grace et al. “The Prevalence and Burden of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) Symptoms in the Adult General Population of the UK and USA.” The International journal of eating disorders vol. 59,2 (2026): 362-370. doi:10.1002/eat.24588
Menzel, Jessie E., and Taylor R. Perry. Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder: Review and Recent Advances. 2024. Focus, vol. 22, no. 3, American Psychiatric Publishing, July 2024, pp. 288–300, doi:10.1176/appi.focus.20240008.
Schlapp-Gilgoff, Mollie. “What Are Severe and Enduring Eating Disorders (SEED)? .” National Eating Disorders Association, National Eating Disorders Association, www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/severe-and-enduring-eating-disorders-seed/.
“Severe and Enduring Eating Disorders: Clarifying the Facts about Seed, Se-an, and Terminal Anorexia — Eat Breathe Thrive Foundation for Eating Disorders.” Eat Breathe Thrive Foundation for Eating Disorders, Eat Breathe Thrive Foundation for Eating Disorders, www.eatbreathethrive.org/ebt-blog/severe-and-enduring-eating-disorders. Accessed 26 July 2026.
“The Definitive Guide to All Types of Eating Disorders - National Alliance for Eating Disorders.” National Alliance for Eating Disorders, National Alliance for Eating Disorders, 24 July 2023, www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/the-definitive-guide-to-all-types-of-eating-disorders/.