OSFED Treatment
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) can cause serious physical and emotional challenges, even when symptoms don’t fit the criteria for another eating disorder. Learn how specialized OSFED treatment can address unique symptoms, support healthier behaviors and help build a path toward recovery.
Recognizing the Signs of OSFED
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) is the DSM-V term used to describe eating disorders that do not meet the full criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or Binge Eating Disorder. This classification does not mean that the person has a less serious disorder or does not need help. OSFED is a serious mental illness that occurs in adults, adolescents and children. Approximately 30 percent of those who seek treatment for an eating disorder fall into the OSFED category.
Patterns, systems and traits may vary from one person to another, common behaviors of OSFED may include:
- Dieting behavior
- Evidence of binge eating
- Frequent trips to the bathroom during or shortly after meals
- Compulsive or excessive exercising
- Food rituals, calorie counting, rigid rules and schedules
- Social withdrawal
Emotional and cognitive characteristics of OSFED include:
- Preoccupation with food and eating
- Preoccupation with appearance, overly concerned about body weight, shape and size
- Distorted body image, extreme body hatred
- Depression, anxiety, irritability
- Low self-esteem, self-loathing, self-disgust
The health risks and complications associated with OSFED include, but are not limited to:
- Weight loss, weight gain or weight fluctuations
- Signs of damage due to vomiting (swollen glands, facial puffiness, burst blood vessels in eyes)
- Menstrual period disturbance or loss
- Fainting and/or dizziness
- Heart arrhythmia and irregularities
Click here to take our online quiz to see if you are living a lifestyle that shows anorexic or bulimic tendencies.
