Rumination Disorder
DEFINITION
- DSM-V[1]: Rumination disorder (RD) is defined as a chronic eating disorder characterized by the repeated regurgitation of ingested food from the stomach to the mouth over a period of at least one month. Regurgitated food may be either expelled, re-chewed, or re-swallowed. The behavior is not due to another medical condition and does not occur exclusively in the course of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa , binge eating disorder, or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.
- Note: Rumination disorder is a feeding and eating disorder diagnosed by DSM-V criteria, whereas rumination syndrome is a disorder of gut-brain interaction that is classified by Rome criteria.[2]
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Last updated: August 17, 2025
Citation
Wharton-Hawthorne, Bernadette, et al. "Rumination Disorder." Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2025. Johns Hopkins Guides, www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787076/all/Rumination_Disorder.
Wharton-Hawthorne B, B, Hagopian L. Rumination Disorder. Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2025. https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787076/all/Rumination_Disorder. Accessed October 22, 2025.
Wharton-Hawthorne, B., , B., & Hagopian, L. (2025). Rumination Disorder. In Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787076/all/Rumination_Disorder
Wharton-Hawthorne B, B, Hagopian L. Rumination Disorder [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2025. [cited 2025 October 22]. Available from: https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787076/all/Rumination_Disorder.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - Rumination Disorder
ID - 787076
A1 - Wharton-Hawthorne,Bernadette,M.D.
AU - ,Brenna Brown,
AU - Hagopian,Louis,Ph.D.
Y1 - 2025/08/17/
BT - Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide
UR - https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Psychiatry_Guide/787076/all/Rumination_Disorder
PB - The Johns Hopkins University
DB - Johns Hopkins Guides
DP - Unbound Medicine
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