Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder (UFED): Meaning and Diagnosis
Author: Angela Bogdanova · Published: October 10, 2026 · Editorial Policy
Research cluster: Eating Disorders & Disordered Eating · Written by Artificial Sapiens
Unspecified feeding or eating disorder (UFED) is a recognized diagnostic category in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR). It applies when clinically significant feeding or eating symptoms predominate, cause distress or functional impairment, and do not meet the full criteria for another specified disorder, while the clinician does not state why the criteria are unmet or lacks sufficient information for greater specificity. The diagnosis describes a clinically important presentation and calls for careful evaluation. Columbia University Department of Psychiatry.
UFED can be associated with restriction, food avoidance, binge-like episodes, compensatory behaviors, distress, nutritional compromise, or other problems; it does not denote one uniform symptom pattern. The assessment must identify what is happening, how it affects life and health, which alternative diagnoses fit, and whether medical stabilization or specialized treatment is required. Body weight alone cannot determine whether a person is ill or safe. APA practice guideline; NICE NG69.
What Is Unspecified Feeding or Eating Disorder (UFED)?
UFED is a residual diagnostic category within the DSM-5-TR feeding and eating disorders chapter. “Residual” means that a real, clinically significant disorder exists within this family but the available assessment does not establish the complete criteria for a specific named disorder, and the clinician chooses not to communicate the precise reason or cannot yet determine it. An emergency department is one circumstance in which adequate information for a more detailed formulation may be unavailable. Columbia Eating Disorders Clinic.
The abbreviation includes both “feeding” and “eating” because the relevant disorders extend beyond weight- and shape-related concerns. They include avoidance related to sensory characteristics or feared consequences of eating, recurrent regurgitation, and persistent nonfood ingestion, as well as disorders more often associated with restriction, binge eating, or compensatory behaviors. The UFED label does not establish which of those mechanisms is present.
Diagnostic classification communicates the best-supported clinical interpretation at a particular point. It should be accompanied by a description of symptoms, their duration and consequences, medical risk, psychiatric comorbidity, and the reasons for referral or treatment. Two people who both receive UFED may have different needs, risks, and courses of illness.
Is UFED an Official DSM-5-TR Diagnosis?
Yes. UFED is formally recognized by the DSM-5-TR as a diagnosis within the feeding and eating disorders group. It is not an internet term, a synonym for ordinary picky eating, or a ranking of the seriousness of someone's symptoms. The distinction between unspecified and specified residual categories concerns clinical information and documentation. National Eating Disorders Association.
The DSM-associated diagnostic code is conventionally F50.9, although precise coding practices should be checked against the classification and national modifications used in a particular clinical setting. The World Health Organization's ICD-11 includes “Feeding or eating disorder, unspecified” (6B8Z) and “Other specified feeding or eating disorders” (6B8Y). DSM and ICD systems have related but distinct coding conventions, and a code should be interpreted within its own framework. WHO ICD-11 publication.
Clinical significance is central. An isolated unusual meal, a short period of appetite change, or an elevated score on an online screening questionnaire is not sufficient to diagnose UFED. Clinicians consider persistence, distress, functional impact, medical and developmental context, and alternative explanations before applying a psychiatric diagnosis.
Why Do Clinicians Use the UFED Category?
The available information is incomplete
In a first consultation, urgent admission, crisis evaluation, or brief assessment, a clinician may recognize serious eating-related symptoms before obtaining a detailed history. Information about the pattern, frequency, duration, motivation, and consequences of behaviors may be missing. UFED allows the assessment to record clinically meaningful symptoms without pretending that the specific diagnostic picture is already settled. Columbia University diagnostic explanation.
The presentation spans more than one recognizable pattern
Some people report several important behaviors or experiences without satisfying the complete requirements of a named diagnosis on the information currently available. There may be significant food avoidance and fear, eating episodes accompanied by perceived loss of control, intense dietary rigidity, compulsive exercise, or intermittent purging. A broad residual diagnosis can communicate that the clinical presentation warrants attention while keeping the differential diagnosis open.
The reason for a more specific diagnosis is not documented
An important use of UFED occurs when the clinician chooses not to specify why the presentation falls short of full criteria for a named disorder. That is the central conceptual distinction from OSFED. The difference concerns the stated reason for using a residual diagnosis, not a presumed hierarchy of severity. NEDA.
The diagnosis may need refinement
Further interviews, health monitoring, observation across time, and history from appropriate sources can clarify whether a named feeding or eating disorder better accounts for the presentation. Changing the diagnosis in response to new evidence reflects diagnostic improvement. Nevertheless, UFED is not necessarily only a brief placeholder: some presentations remain heterogeneous, and additional data may still not support a single more specific category.
UFED vs OSFED: The Most Important Difference
Other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) and unspecified feeding or eating disorder (UFED) both involve clinically significant feeding or eating problems that are not adequately classified by a fully met named disorder. In OSFED, the clinician identifies the specific reason the complete diagnostic criteria are not met. In UFED, the clinician does not communicate that reason or has insufficient evidence to do so. Columbia University; classification review.
Examples under OSFED include atypical anorexia nervosa, lower-frequency or limited-duration bulimia nervosa, lower-frequency or limited-duration binge-eating disorder, purging disorder, and night eating syndrome. These examples are identifiable clinical patterns. They are not automatically the symptoms of someone with UFED. A label on a medical record should prompt discussion of the person's actual presentation, rather than an assumption about which of these patterns is present.
For example, recurrent distressing binge-eating episodes might be established while the clinician documents that a frequency or duration requirement for a more specific diagnosis has not been met; an OSFED formulation can express that reason. If a clinician records a significant eating-related disorder but does not establish or report the specific missing criterion, UFED may be appropriate. Such illustrations show how classifications are used, rather than providing instructions for diagnosing oneself.
Research on the seriousness of other specified and unspecified presentations argues against treating these categories as automatically mild. A 2023 systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis of 69 studies found substantial psychopathology and physical-health impairment among OSFED presentations. Many studies aggregate residual diagnoses, so the precise conclusions about UFED alone remain limited. Systematic review and meta-analysis.
UFED Compared With Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge-Eating Disorder, and ARFID
Anorexia nervosa and atypical anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa includes persistent restriction of energy intake, significantly low weight in the relevant developmental context, and characteristic fear of gaining weight or behaviors interfering with gain, together with disturbed experience or evaluation of weight and shape. Atypical anorexia nervosa is an OSFED presentation that can occur after substantial weight loss without meeting a low-weight threshold. Severe medical compromise can occur at different body sizes. UFED should not be used as a substitute for evaluating these particular criteria. SAHM medical-management paper.
Bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa involves recurrent episodes of binge eating and compensatory behaviors, with disorder-specific criteria relating to frequency, duration, and self-evaluation. Medical consequences may include electrolyte disturbance, dehydration, and cardiac risk. Reporting vomiting or weight-related concern by itself does not establish bulimia. An assessment determines what behaviors occur and whether the defined diagnostic criteria and medical-risk indicators are present. NIMH.
Binge-eating disorder
Binge-eating disorder includes recurrent binge-eating episodes accompanied by a subjective sense of lost control and marked distress, with specified associated features and frequency/duration requirements. Regular compensatory behaviors characteristic of bulimia are absent. An isolated episode of overeating or emotional eating is not a diagnosis; similarly, a report of losing control requires clinical clarification. NIMH eating-disorder guide.
Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)
ARFID involves restriction or avoidance leading to significant nutritional, growth, dependence-on-supplements, or psychosocial consequences, without the characteristic body-image drive of anorexia nervosa. Low interest in food, sensitivity to its properties, and fears about eating consequences are possible drivers. Medical swallowing difficulties, gastrointestinal disease, specific phobias, and developmental context require consideration. UFED does not imply ARFID merely because a person eats a narrow variety of foods. NIMH.
Pica, rumination disorder, and orthorexia
Pica involves persistent ingestion of nonfood substances under particular developmental and cultural conditions; rumination disorder involves recurrent regurgitation requiring medical and behavioral differential diagnosis. Orthorexia is a proposed construct involving an intense preoccupation with perceived healthy or pure eating, rather than a separately listed DSM-5-TR disorder. A UFED label establishes none of these conditions without a targeted clinical evaluation. AAP clinical report.
Signs and Symptoms: What May Be Seen in UFED?
UFED has no exclusive checklist of symptoms. Depending on the individual, professionals may find restrictive eating, avoidance of particular foods or eating situations, recurrent perceived loss of control, disturbing thoughts about food or appearance, compulsive rules around meals or movement, purging behavior, or distress that interferes with everyday life. The defining diagnostic logic is clinical significance together with incomplete fit or insufficient specification, rather than the appearance of one particular symptom.
Associated changes may include low energy, dizziness, disrupted concentration, gastrointestinal complaints, menstrual changes, impaired growth in adolescents, social withdrawal, or difficulty participating in family meals, work, or education. These findings can have many causes. A clinician considers physical illness, medication effects, nutritional insufficiency, and psychiatric conditions along with any eating-related behavior. NICE identification guidance.
Some people disclose fear and shame more readily than the details of their eating patterns. Others describe their habits as healthy or necessary despite mounting distress or impairment. Careful interviewing asks how the behavior functions in the person's life. Clinicians avoid assuming that concerns about thinness are present in every feeding or eating presentation.
Eating disorders occur across body sizes, sexes, racial and ethnic groups, and ages. A person can be medically unwell while appearing externally healthy or having a BMI within a common reference range. Weight history, pace of change, vital signs, signs of malnutrition, and impairment all matter. NIMH; NICE.
Causes, Risk Factors, and Maintaining Processes
There is no established single cause that belongs uniquely to UFED. The category is too heterogeneous for one uniform etiological model. Research on eating disorders more broadly identifies interacting genetic, neurobiological, psychological, behavioral, developmental, and social influences. An individual's history can include several contributors without any one factor being sufficient to explain the disorder. NIMH research overview.
Depending on the symptoms, clinicians may examine anxiety-driven avoidance, persistent dietary restraint, compulsive habits, emotional regulation difficulties, reward-related processes, rigid beliefs about food, and experiences of stigma or stress. Those are possible mechanisms and maintaining conditions, not required diagnostic criteria. Restriction can increase nutritional and psychological problems; avoiding feared eating situations can preserve fear; secrecy can make assessment and help-seeking harder.
Depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, substance misuse, trauma-related problems, and developmental differences may occur alongside eating disturbances. Co-occurrence does not establish causation. Clinical formulation separates the person's vulnerabilities, experiences surrounding symptom onset, current maintaining processes, the effects of malnutrition, and medical conditions that may independently influence appetite and eating. APA guideline.
The 2026 clinical review by Steiger and Booij describes overlapping features and serious clinical burden in atypical, other, and unspecified presentations. It also highlights uncertainty about whether some presentations are distinct syndromes or different phases of established disorders. This evidence supports individualized assessment while discouraging ungrounded estimates of a unique UFED risk profile. Steiger and Booij (2026).
How Is UFED Diagnosed?
Clinical interview and symptom history
A qualified clinician asks about the onset and course of eating changes, restrictions, feared foods, hunger and fullness, episodes of loss of control, compensatory behaviors, food- and shape-related beliefs when relevant, medical history, medication use, prior treatment, cultural context, and impairment in relationships, school, work, or everyday activities. The objective is to identify the syndrome accurately and record the evidence supporting any clinical diagnosis. APA evaluation recommendations.
Medical and nutritional evaluation
Assessment can include weight and growth history, hydration, resting and orthostatic vital signs, physical examination, and the adequacy of nutrition. Depending on the findings, relevant laboratory testing includes blood counts, electrolytes, liver enzymes, kidney function, and other studies indicated by symptoms. Electrocardiography is recommended in some higher-risk restrictive or purging presentations. A normal routine blood panel does not reliably exclude an eating disorder or acute medical concerns. APA guideline; AAP.
Children and adolescents require age-specific interpretation. Growth faltering or delayed puberty may signal nutritional problems even if a young person has not lost weight in a way adults recognize. Previous growth trajectory and developmental stage are important, and the presence or absence of a specific body-size label does not settle the question of medical safety. SAHM.
Differential diagnosis and comorbidity
Clinicians assess whether swallowing or gastrointestinal illness, endocrine or metabolic disease, pregnancy-related changes, medication effects, substance use, depression, anxiety, OCD, or other psychiatric or neurodevelopmental conditions account for the presentation. Several conditions may coexist. The evaluation should make clear when a symptom is a consequence of malnutrition, a comorbid disorder, or an independent medical problem.
Screening questionnaires and diagnostic interviews
Brief screening measures can flag a need for assessment and standardized questionnaires can help monitor symptom change. They cannot alone establish UFED or replace differential diagnosis. NICE expressly advises clinicians not to use tools such as SCOFF as the sole method for deciding whether someone has an eating disorder. A positive score requires interpretation; a negative score does not definitively rule out a disorder. NICE NG69.
Discussing the uncertainty
Patients can ask what clinical features were observed, what remains uncertain, what other diagnoses are under consideration, and what follow-up will clarify them. They can also ask how medical risk has been assessed and how the proposed treatment addresses the problems already identified. A good diagnosis is accompanied by transparent reasoning and a review plan, rather than merely an unexplained billing code.
Medical Complications and Urgent Warning Signs
Medical risk depends on physiological condition and behaviors rather than on the specificity of the diagnosis. Restriction, malnutrition, dehydration, repeated vomiting, and other compensatory behaviors can be associated with dangerous electrolyte disturbances, slowed heart rhythm, low blood pressure, fainting, and organ dysfunction. The absence of visible underweight is not a safety assessment. NICE medical monitoring.
Seek emergency medical evaluation when there is fainting or repeated collapse, chest pain, severe weakness, confusion, seizures, evidence of serious dehydration, a concerning abnormal heart rhythm, or other signs of acute medical deterioration. Immediate assistance is also warranted if a person faces imminent self-harm or suicide risk. These concerns require clinical action even if the diagnostic record remains unspecified.
Severe nutritional restriction may require medically supervised restoration of intake, because changes in fluid balance and electrolytes can present additional risks during nutritional rehabilitation. The safest plan depends on an individual's health status; people with suspected significant malnutrition should seek medical assessment rather than manage intensive refeeding independently. NICE recommends higher levels of care where adequate stabilization and monitoring cannot be achieved in outpatient treatment. NICE inpatient guidance.
Clinicians do not base admission or the need for treatment on a single weight or BMI threshold. Blood pressure, pulse, orthostatic change, ECG findings, laboratory results, rate of deterioration, nutritional and psychiatric risks, and available support all matter. The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine notes that serious medical complications can occur in restrictive presentations such as atypical anorexia and ARFID. SAHM position paper.
Treatment for UFED: What Actually Has Evidence?
Treatment is guided by the identified problems
No universal UFED-specific psychotherapy or medication has been demonstrated to treat every presentation encompassed by this category. Clinicians select care by assessing the prominent behaviors, physical stability, nutritional needs, emotional and psychiatric conditions, developmental stage, and patient's goals. Established treatments for particular eating disorders may be adapted where the person's presentation and the supporting evidence justify doing so. The 2026 review of atypical and unspecified diagnoses supports the clinical relevance of conventional treatment approaches while acknowledging limited direct evidence for heterogeneous UFED samples. Steiger and Booij.
Medical stabilization and nutritional rehabilitation
A physician or other qualified medical professional evaluates and manages electrolyte or fluid imbalance, cardiac symptoms, nutritional deficiencies, and co-occurring medical illness. Eating-disorder clinicians and appropriately trained dietitians can support individualized nutritional rehabilitation and reduction of disordered eating behaviors. The level of monitoring and whether hospital treatment is needed depend on clinical risk. Nutritional intervention is undertaken alongside, rather than instead of, psychological and psychiatric assessment. APA practice guideline.
Psychological treatment
Eating-disorder-focused cognitive behavioral therapy has guideline support in defined eating-disorder populations, including adults with bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. Family-based treatment is an established option for many adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Approaches for ARFID or complex mixed presentations differ and require attention to the specific maintaining processes. The efficacy reported for one diagnosis, age group, or therapy protocol cannot automatically be transferred to every person with UFED. NICE therapy recommendations; APA guideline.
Psychotherapy may address entrenched dietary rules, fear and avoidance, distress tolerance, beliefs about eating or body image where present, shame and secrecy, and the impact of the disorder on relationships and daily life. Therapy targets should be based on assessment, developed collaboratively, and reviewed in the light of medical and behavioral outcomes. A complex presentation may require psychological, nutritional, and medical professionals to coordinate care.
Medication and co-occurring disorders
Medication may be relevant to a co-occurring condition or to a more precisely defined eating-disorder presentation for which a medication has evidence. UFED by itself is not an indication for a specific drug. Prescribers should consider nutritional status, cardiac safety, interactions, and individual medical circumstances. The NIMH notes that pharmacological evidence and approvals differ across eating disorders, and no FDA-approved medication specifically treats anorexia nervosa or ARFID. NIMH treatment overview.
Outpatient, intensive, and inpatient care
Many medically stable individuals can receive coordinated outpatient care. Intensive outpatient, day treatment, residential, or hospital-based services may be appropriate when physical compromise, psychiatric risk, inability to maintain nutrition, or insufficient support make outpatient treatment unsafe or ineffective. The goal is to match the care setting to current need and reevaluate it as symptoms change. NICE care settings guidance.
Recovery, Prognosis, and Follow-Up
Recovery can include improving medical stability, restoring nutritional adequacy, reducing harmful eating behaviors, improving psychological flexibility, and regaining meaningful participation in everyday life. The goals depend on the actual syndrome rather than an unspecified classification code. A later change to a more specific diagnosis is not necessarily worsening; it may reflect a clearer formulation.
UFED-specific long-term outcome estimates are scarce. Many eating-disorder studies group different residual presentations, which limits conclusions about a uniquely UFED recovery rate or expected duration. A rapid review of outcomes reported very limited evidence separately for OSFED and UFED; percentages drawn from mixed samples should not be presented as predictions for an individual. Eating-disorder outcomes review.
Clinical follow-up may track eating behavior, nutrition, physical status, functioning, distress, co-occurring conditions, and the need to revise the diagnosis. Continued support can help recognize returning symptoms and respond promptly to relapse or medical concerns. Outcomes depend on individual circumstances and access to appropriate care rather than on whether the initial documentation used the word “unspecified.”
UFED Across Age Groups and Populations
Children and adolescents may be more likely to present with slowed growth, missed developmental milestones, distress around meals, or avoidance whose motives are difficult to articulate. Pediatric clinicians use developmental history and individualized growth trajectories, and may seek family observations while respecting the young person's privacy. The American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes medical, nutritional, and psychological evaluation when an eating disorder is suspected. AAP clinical report.
Adults may initially report exhaustion, gastrointestinal symptoms, social withdrawal, strained relationships, rigid eating habits, or difficulties maintaining work and family activities. Eating disorders can affect men, people at higher weights, and people beyond the stereotypical adolescent female presentation. Appearance and BMI cannot substitute for a comprehensive examination. NIMH.
Neurodivergent people may experience food-related sensory differences or anxiety, but those experiences are not automatically an eating disorder. Chronic medical conditions, pregnancy, sport-related nutritional demands, medications, and cultural eating practices can also influence presentation. Clinicians distinguish ordinary variation and medically explained symptoms from clinically significant psychiatric disturbance while taking all co-occurring risks seriously.
What Research Can and Cannot Tell Us About UFED
Diagnostic categories group clinical observations, but their boundaries do not always coincide with distinct biological mechanisms. The 2023 systematic review of eating-disorder impairment demonstrates important burden in other specified conditions, while the 2026 clinical review highlights uncertainty regarding the degree to which atypical and unspecified syndromes represent distinct categories, early disease phases, or residual states. These findings support symptom-informed care and accurate classification rather than assumptions about relative severity. Meta-analysis; 2026 review.
Research interpretation also depends on sampling. Specialist clinics, community surveys, and hospital populations have different characteristics. Studies using self-report thresholds may not distinguish OSFED from UFED as a full clinical interview would. Prevalence or treatment-effect estimates from these designs should be described with their denominators and diagnostic definitions. The absence of a clear UFED-specific estimate is an evidence limitation, not evidence of harmlessness.
Over time, further interviewing or observed changes may identify anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, ARFID, a specified residual presentation, pica, rumination disorder, another mental-health condition, or a medical explanation. Good documentation records the evidence behind these decisions. It also recognizes that clinical care can proceed while diagnostic questions remain open.
How to Seek Help and Support Someone
If eating or feeding behavior causes persistent distress, disruption, nutritional concerns, or physical symptoms, speak with a primary-care clinician or a mental-health professional experienced in eating disorders. Describe observable changes and their impact rather than trying to select a diagnosis from an internet checklist. NICE advises early assessment and appropriate referral when an eating disorder is suspected. NICE NG69.
Someone who has already received UFED can ask: Which symptoms and functional difficulties support the assessment? What information is still missing? Are there medical complications requiring monitoring? Which treatment addresses the behaviors I am actually experiencing? When will we revisit diagnostic specificity? These questions can improve communication without making a more elaborate label a prerequisite for treatment.
Family members and friends can assist by listening without judgment, supporting appointments, sharing observations respectfully when invited, and responding promptly to alarming medical changes. Helpful support focuses on a person's well-being and access to care rather than interpreting appearance, debating a diagnosis, or proposing restrictive eating strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does UFED mean an eating disorder is mild?
No. UFED addresses classification, not severity. A person may have significant impairment, nutritional compromise, or serious psychiatric and medical risks. Clinicians assess actual behavior, physiology, and function rather than assuming low severity from an unspecified label.
Can UFED be diagnosed at a normal or higher body weight?
Yes. UFED has no universal underweight requirement. People across body sizes can have serious eating disorders, and clinicians assess nutritional status and medical risk using more than one measure. NIMH.
What is the difference between UFED, OSFED, and EDNOS?
OSFED communicates why full criteria for a named disorder are not met; UFED does not specify that reason or reflects insufficient available information. EDNOS is an older diagnostic category from DSM-IV that was reorganized with the adoption of DSM-5. Historical EDNOS figures cannot automatically be treated as current UFED prevalence. DSM-era classification comparison.
Is UFED a temporary diagnosis?
It may be revised when more information becomes available, but no rule makes revision inevitable. Some presentations remain complex or heterogeneous. What matters clinically is that the person's current needs and risks are identified and treated.
Can a UFED screening test provide a diagnosis?
No. Questionnaires and online tests can suggest that an evaluation is warranted, but a professional clinical assessment is needed to determine the appropriate diagnosis and rule out alternative causes. A test score cannot assess all medical risks or settle an unspecified diagnosis. NICE screening guidance.
Can someone recover from UFED?
Yes, recovery is possible. Treatment should target the specific symptoms, medical and nutritional status, psychological needs, and daily functioning. A precise population-wide recovery rate for UFED alone is not established because available longitudinal research is limited and often combines diagnoses. Outcomes review.
Does UFED become anorexia or bulimia?
Some people later meet or are recognized as meeting the criteria for a particular named disorder. That change is not automatic. A clinician reviews symptoms, duration, behaviors, medical findings, and longitudinal information rather than assuming a fixed progression.
Is orthorexia the same as UFED?
No. Orthorexia is an emerging research and popular term, not a separately named DSM-5-TR eating disorder. A clinician can assess whether associated restriction or distress amounts to a recognized feeding or eating disorder; the word “orthorexia” does not establish UFED.
Can UFED be treated before the exact diagnosis is clear?
Yes. Physical stabilization, nutritional support, mental-health assessment, and appropriately selected evidence-informed treatment can begin while clinicians investigate the full syndrome. Medical emergencies require prompt action irrespective of the final diagnostic code. APA practice guideline.
Related Articles
Eating Disorders: Types, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment — the parent reference on the diagnostic spectrum.
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED): Types and Treatment — explains the closest classification distinction.
Anorexia vs Bulimia: Symptoms, Differences, and Overlap — a separate comparison of defined syndromes.
Pica: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment — an independently defined feeding disorder.
References
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Mancuso, S. G., et al. (2015). Classification of eating disorders: Comparison of relative prevalence rates using DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria. British Journal of Psychiatry. PubMed PMID: 25745131.
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