What is Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder (OSFED)?
By Kelsey Chadwick, MS RDN
Wednesday February 28th, 2024
For National Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2024, we are sharing information about the types of eating disorders. We hope this can serve as a resource for folks looking to learn more about the distinctions between different disorder types.
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) was previously called Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS). This category was developed to include individuals who did not meet strict diagnostic criteria for other eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa but still have an eating disorder. OSFED is just as severe of an eating disorder as is these other aforementioned disorders and those diagnosed with OSFED can have similar eating disorder symptom severity and risk factors.
Examples of OSFED include atypical anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder of low frequency and/or limited duration, bulimia nervosa of low frequency and/or limited duration, purging disorder and night eating syndrome.
The following are behavioral, psychological and physical signs of OSFED:
Behavioral Signs
Preoccupation with weight, food and dieting
Engages in episodes of binge eating
Develops food rituals
Dresses in layers to hide weight loss and/or stay warm
Purging behaviors such as frequent trips to the bathroom after meals
Appears uncomfortable eating around others
Physical Signs
Difficulty concentrating
Menstrual irregularities
Abnormal laboratory findings
Sleep problems
Noticeable fluctuations in weight
Swelling around area of salivary glands
Feeling cold all the time
Dizziness and fainting
Health consequences of OSFED are just as severe as other eating disorders that meet the full criteria. OSFED treatment involves working with a team of health and mental health providers that have expertise in eating disorders. Early intervention is an important factor in treatment outcomes. A treatment team includes a physician, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, dietitian and psychiatric nurse. There are varying levels of care and each individual will have different needs that are assessed by your treatment team.
Additional Statistics
The most common eating disorder is Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) with a one-year prevalence of 1.18% for females and 0.27% for males. (1)
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) represents 39.5% of eating disorder cases among males, and 44.2% of cases among females in the US in 2018-19. (1)
The incidence of eating disorders in the U.S. military was found to be 2.7%, with the most common diagnosis being other specified feeding or eating disorder (46%) whereas bulimia accounted for 42% and anorexia nervosa for 12% of the cases. (2)
Deloitte Access Economics. The Social and Economic Cost of Eating Disorders in the United States of America: A Report for the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders and the Academy for Eating Disorders. June 2020. Available at: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/striped/report-economic-costs-of-eating-disorders/.
Williams, V. F., Stahlman, S., & Taubman, S. B. (2018). Diagnoses of eating disorders, active component service members, U.S. Armed Forces, 2013-2017. MSMR, 25(6), 18–25.