Rumination Disorder is a type of eating disorder characterizes by frequent regurgitation of food that is not related to a medical or organic condition such as reflux. Someone struggling with this disorder will bring back up food that has already been chewed or and swallowed and re-chew the food and then swallow it again or spit it out. The person may even repeat this with the same bite of food multiple times. Rumination can be part of another eating disorder such as Bulimia or Anorexia or it may exist alone.
According to the DSM-5 criteria, to be diagnosed as having Rumination Disorder a person must display:
- Repeated regurgitation of food for a period of at least one month Regurgitated food may be re-chewed, re-swallowed, or spit out.
- The repeated regurgitation is not due to a medication condition (e.g. gastrointestinal condition).
- The behavior does not occur exclusively in the course of Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, BED, or Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake disorder.
- If occurring in the presence of another mental disorder (e.g. intellectual developmental disorder), it is severe enough to warrant independent clinical attention.