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823 views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  softghost 
#1 ·
So, I was diagnosed with ASD when I was 15. They ignored the rest of what was happening, and were automatically freaked out by my eating habits, refusing to eat anything that was brought on the meal trays, or having to walk away when someone was eating a certain food. I also started purging at this time (most of this was done outside the hospital, it was a day program for my OCD. The only thing I could eat that they had was peanut butter and toast, but it couldn't have butter. I was no health nut, and at the time, I was binging and purging junk food. Only certain foods. But I can't eat fruit or vegetables. I can't eat things with bones (I am against eating animal products, I eat the alternatives). It also had to be a certain brand. I can't smell most food without feeling sick (I can't sit next to a fruit bowl or go in the produce area). I can't be around people eating eggs. Yogurt, etc. I won't eat slimy food, like tofu. I won't eat thick fries, due to the texture. I Won't eat legumes. I can be around vegetables, because they smell like grass. I won't eat nuts or seeds (unless it is peanut butter, and the peanut butter can't be oily. I hate oily food. I put salt on everything. I mean, this isn't ed related: I have been like this since I was a kid. I was refused treatment, for extreme picky eating. Nobody knows what ARFID is. If I am in a hospital, without family, I would starve.
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have autism and have struggled with food texture sensitivity issues and ""picky eating"" my whole life. ARFID wasn't a diagnosis back then, and even if it did my problems were generally not taken seriously and I was berated for being "stubborn" and "purposefully difficult"

I was hospitalized in 2014 for a suicide attempt and the hospital I was in refused to accomodate me. I tried desperately to explain that I sincerely Could Not eat certain foods or textures, that I would likely even vomit if I tried, and I was literally laughed at, told "well, then I guess you'll just have to vomit then, huh? : )", and so I starved. Outside of the hospital as well, during my period of homelessness, this would bring me suffering, as people would offer me food I couldn't eat and then punish or admonish me for my "selfishness" and "immaturity".

Sorry for the personal story, it's just..... both validating and also deeply saddening to see someone who experienced similar to me.

But to answer your question, this is likely ARFID, yes, especially as it's somewhat common in people with ASD. You're right, hospitals and such often have no idea what to do with us, and have little empathy for it......... I wish it weren't this way. We deserve understanding and help, too,,
 
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