Last Updated on August 28, 2024 | Published: August 28, 2024 published by Jenny Tomei
What is ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people’s behaviour. Sometimes ADHD was not recognised when someone was a child so they are diagnosed later in life when they are an adult. ADHD is a neurological disorder that impacts parts of the brain that help us plan, focus and execute tasks. There are different subtypes of ADHD, which include inattentive, hyperactive, or combined and these are often more difficult to diagnose in girls and adults.
How does ADHD affect eating habits?
Studies have shown that individuals that present with ADHD can be quite impulsive with their eating habits. Children with ADHD may be more at risk of overeating than children without ADHD. Studies have also shown that people with ADHD tend to present with destructive eating habits. In one particular study, children with ADHD would skip meals more often, ate fewer fruits and vegetables and they also consumed more sweetened beverages and caffeinated drinks.
The connection between ADHD and eating disorders/disordered eating?
Research suggests that there is a link between ADHD and eating disorders. Various studies have shown that individuals with ADHD are 3.8 times more likely to develop an eating disorder than anyone else, this research has mainly been based on BED.
- Hyperfocus, another characteristic of ADHD, can sometimes lead individuals to become overly preoccupied with food, diet, or body image. This intense focus can result in restrictive eating patterns, similar to those seen in anorexia nervosa or orthorexia.
- ADHD is associated with dysregulation in the brain’s dopamine system, which plays a significant role in reward and pleasure. To compensate for low dopamine levels, individuals with ADHD may seek out pleasurable experiences, such as eating high-sugar or high-fat foods, which can provide a temporary dopamine boost. This reward-seeking behavior can contribute to overeating or binge eating.
Who is more at risk?
Multiple studies have shown that individuals with ADHD are at a greater risk of developing an eating disorder than those who do not have ADHD. Research on ADHD and eating disorders have fundamentally focused on bulimia nervosa and BED with many studies concluding that bulimia is more commonly found in young girls with ADHD than it is in neurotypical girls. Research has shown that patients diagnosed with BED have the highest prevalence of ADHD compared to BN and AN.
Furthermore children with ADHD could often present with disordered eating, defined as broad problematic eating behaviours that do not match the current diagnostic criteria of ED’s.
Biological and genetic factors
There are many biological and genetic factors that make people with ADHD more susceptible to different deficiencies like reward deficiency syndrome, which is when an individual with ADHD seeks satisfaction from food due to their brain producing insufficient amounts of dopamine. ADHD brains also have lower amounts of GABA, which is a natural chemical produced from the brain and affects the body reactions to feelings of fear, anxiety and stress and allows the brain to better process information.
Behavioural and emotional factors
People with ADHD also have poor impulse control, which can lead to overeating, as well as poor self regulation making it difficult for them to understand the amount of food that they are eating and poor sleeping habits which may dysregulate their metabolisms. Food may be used as a relief from feelings like anxiety, sadness, anger and other emotions that may be too overwhelming to process, food may also become a way for them to cope and feel as though they have control, this could lead to an . However, boredom may also be a major influential factor to people with ADHD binge eating.
Signs and symptoms of ADHD and Eating disorders
ADHD is associated with more severe eating disorder symptoms.
Anorexia Nervosa:
- Extreme Weight Loss: Noticeable and significant weight loss.
- Preoccupation with Food: Intense fear of gaining weight and preoccupation with dieting and weight loss.
- Distorted Body Image: Seeing oneself as overweight despite being underweight.
- Restricted Eating: Restricting food intake, often to the point of starvation.
- Excessive Exercise: Engaging in excessive physical activity to burn calories.
- Denial of Hunger: Denying feelings of hunger and refusing to eat.
- Severe Thinness: Emaciation or severe thinness.
Bulimia Nervosa:
- Binge Eating: Eating large amounts of food in a short period, often secretly.
- Purging Behaviors: Engaging in behaviors to prevent weight gain after bingeing, such as vomiting, using laxatives, or excessive exercise.
- Preoccupation with Body Image: Intense fear of gaining weight and dissatisfaction with body shape.
- Secretive Eating: Eating in secret or feeling ashamed after eating.
- Frequent Weight Fluctuations: Noticeable fluctuations in weight.
Binge Eating Disorder:
- Binge Episodes: Recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food in a short period.
- Lack of Control: Feeling a lack of control during binge episodes.
- Guilt and Shame: Experiencing guilt, shame, or distress after binge eating.
- Eating When Not Hungry: Eating large amounts of food when not physically hungry.
- Eating in Secret: Eating alone due to embarrassment over how much one is eating.
Other Eating Disorders (e.g., Orthorexia, ARFID):
- Orthorexia: Obsession with eating foods one considers healthy, often leading to restrictive diets.
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): Avoiding certain foods or types of food, leading to nutritional deficiencies or weight loss.
Treatment for ADHD and eating disorders
It is recommended to treat both ADHD and the eating disorder at the same time and to not disregard the connection of the ADHD traits in the development in the eating disorder. The ADHD needs to be addressed in order to make the treatment for the eating disorder more effective. It is advised to identify the persons link between their ADHD and eating disorder and how their ADHD symptoms impact and are therefore impacted by the eating disorder. It is important to destigmatize the ADHD especially for women and girls and many stay undiagnosed, and to destigmatize eating disorders especially for men and boys and get ride pf the predetermined ideas of stereotypes of both.
For people with ADHD, the way that treatment is approached should be altered and adapted to an individuals own symptoms and should suit their personal strengths. I am myself ADHD, and I now work with young people who have ADHD so I understand the traits of ADHD, which helps me to really relate to my clients and help them. If you’re interested in having a chat with me, then please do contact me here: https://jenup.co.uk/one-to-one-coaching-with-jenny/
Some examples of treatment that could be considered for an individual are:
- Cognitive behavioural therapy, also referred to as CBT, is a therapy that can assist to undo negative thought patterns and improve self esteem and create positive body image. Although there are no medications to completely treat eating disorders, there are medications that can help to relieve certain linking conditions such as stimulant medication, SSRIs and Vyvanse.
- Group therapy
- Parent coaching
- Stimulant treatment which helps regulate eating in people with ADHD and an eating disorder, Nutritional therapy, Dialectical behavior therapy, also known as DBT, which focuses on mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness skills and emotional regulations skills.
If you’d like to read more information about ADHD and eating disorders, then please do see the links below:
https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/treatment-for-eating-disorders/co-occurring-dual-diagnosis/adhd
