Avoidant restrictive eating disorder and panic attacks in an adult man: A case report

Abstract

Avoidant or Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder (ED) not common in adults. In this article we present a clinical case of ARFID in a 37-year-old male patient treated in an ED center in Medellin, Colombia; displaying anxious symptoms that began a year earlier and concomitant weight loss, following a traumatic event causing an overall impairment with that patient. Several medical evaluations/examinations looking for organic causes, were excluded. Interventions were implemented by a psychiatry, a psychotherapist using cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), and a nutritionist, all in face-to-face modality, which were carried out weekly for the first three months, then biweekly and subsequently quarterly. each lasting approximately 40-60 minutes. After the set of pharmacological interventions and psychotherapy, a great improvement in the functionality of the patient was observed. Improvement was found with respect to eating in public, food variation and panic attacks. In the absence of guidelines, it is important to use standardized and replicable treatments in this population.