KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Kristen was 15 when she began showing signs of severe anxiety and OCD. These symptoms escalated into extreme food avoidance, ultimately leading to a diagnosis of Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
At first, her family hoped it was temporary. But as days passed, her eating and drinking dropped to almost nothing. Soon, she required hospitalization and eventually a feeding tube.
At the time, Kansas City lacked long-term, intensive inpatient mental health care for adolescents, so Kristen was placed in out-of-state programs—first in Wisconsin, then in Texas. The distance was heartbreaking, and the transitions in and out of care were difficult…