Your relationship with food does not feel neutral or easy. Eating may be stressful, confusing, rigid, chaotic, or emotionally charged in ways that affect your daily life. You may not fit neatly into a specific diagnosis, but you know something is not right. That knowledge matters. This category exists because bodies and behaviors do not always follow diagnostic checklists. You deserve support even if the picture is still coming into focus. Early recognition can be a form of care, not a failure to define yourself.

This diagnosis is used when eating related symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment but do not meet full criteria for a specific eating disorder. It allows clinicians to intervene early and provide support without waiting for a more precise label. A thoughtful provider will reassure you that getting help does not require perfect categorization, and that bodies rarely read the manual anyway.