Researchers from the University of Aberdeen, the University of Edinburgh, and Cardiff University took a close look at studies on Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) to help us understand it better. Here is what they found:
Neuroscience is an area of research that explores brain communication (i.e. how cells “talk” with each other) with the goal of understanding our thoughts, behaviours, and bodily functions.
Transgender and non-binary (TNB) people are those whose gender is different from the sex they were assumed to be at birth. This includes trans men, trans women, nonbinary, agender, intersex, genderqueer and genderfluid people, as well as people with traditional or Indigenous gender identities..
In the UK, at least 0.5% of people identify as TNB (Office for National Statistics, 2023). Most research on eating disorders has focused on cisgender people – those whose gender matches the sex they were assumed to be at birth. However, in the last decade, more attention has been given to understanding eating disorders among TNB people.
Long-term eating disorders (EDs) are increasingly recognised as complex, enduring conditions that evolve over many years. The term SEED - “Severe and Enduring Eating Disorders”- is often used to describe such experiences, but the term itself raises important questions about definition, identity, and care. This summary explores what is known about long-term eating disorders, considering both research and lived experience perspectives, and reflects on how the field might move forward to support sustained recovery and quality of life.