It’s only in recent years that we’ve really started to uncover the link between ADHD and eating disorders or weight. What we’ve found so far has been pretty shocking. ADHD and Binge Eating, Bulimia, and Obesity share the strongest links.
Until digging into the numbers, I had no idea. But ADHD impacts every part of a person’s life so it makes sense that it will impact your eating as well, right? Here is what you need to know about the link between ADHD and eating disorders.
Related: 7 ways ADHD is Actually Worse When You’re an Adult
The Link Between ADHD and Eating Disorders
We’ve only just begun discovering the connection between ADHD and eating disorders so the research is still ogoing. Here’s what we have so far…
Research has shown that those of us with ADHD are more likely to develop Bulimia Nervosa or Binge Eating Disorder than those in the general population. While it’s possible to develop other eating disorders with ADHD, these two have the strongest connection.
ADHD and Bulimia Nervosa
One thing that both Bulima and binge eating sometimes share is the feeling of being out of control. Those with Bulimia struggle with feeling out of control around food, and shame/anxiety that leads to purging/over-exercising.
Those with ADHD often struggle with feeling out of control with thoughts and impulses. That connection of shared feeling may, in part, show us why they are so connected. And connected they certainly are.
In one study, girls with ADHD were 3.6 times more likely than their peers to have an eating disorder and over 5 times more likely to have Bulimia.
1% of Women have a history of Bulimia vs. 12% of women with ADHD.
In one study, 9% of women inpatient for Bulimia also had ADHD.
Bulimia symptoms, among girls with ADHD, were most prevalent in the combined type presentation, followed by the inattentive type.
ADHD and Binge Eating
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is the newest eating disorder in the DSM 5. It’s characterized by eating excessively large amount of food on a consistent basis. Those who have BED often feel out of control when it comes to food and experience shame and guilt that leads to another binge.
It’s on ongoing struggle to regulate your eating and find balance. Similar to the way ADHD is an ongoing struggle to regulate…most everything. In that light, it makes sense how ADHD and Binge Eating overlap so much.
Some experts say that approximately 30% of people with Binge Eating Disorder have co-occurring ADHD. That represents the strongest link between ADHD and eating disorders.
Some researchers believe that anyone with Binge Eating Disorder should be screened for ADHD.
ADHD and binge eating have the strongest connection of any other eating disorder by far. Many, many adults with ADHD struggle with regulating their eating. For some, that leads to Binge eating. For others, the overeating may not go as far as an eating disorder but will lead to overeating and being overweight or obese.
The Link Between ADHD and Obesity
Those of us with ADHD are much more likely to be on the heavier side. In fact, some studies have shown that adults with ADHD are 70% more likely to be obese than neurotypicals.
When trying to lose weight, the people who struggle the most are more likely to have ADHD.
Several studies have reported on the connection between ADHD and obesity. One 2005 study found that 58% of teens who were morbidly obese also had ADHD (and 60% were undiagnosed before the study). Another showed that 1/3 of those getting gastric bypass due to obesity also had ADHD Inattentive type.
In that same study, of the participants with a BMI over 40, half of them had Inattentive ADHD. That’s a huge percentage!
I know I personally have struggled with the tendency to eat too much. Before I was medicated for ADHD, I could find myself obsessing about a food if it was in my house. That would happen until I’d eaten ALL of it. Trying to moderate it only made me feel more obsessed. For me, ADHD and overeating definitely went hand in hand.
Related: What you need to know about taking ADHD medication
While I’m smaller now, previously I struggled heavily with my weight and I know I’m not the only ADHDer who has that story! Between forgetting to eat, then eating so fast your brain doesn’t have time to tell you when you’re full, and being obsessed with food until it’s gone–being overweight only makes sense.
I was able to get to a healthier weight with the right tools and support and I know you can, too! So don’t read this article and think all of this makes it impossible. It’s just harder because you are having to fight the ways ADHD tries to ruin your healthy eating efforts.
Related: How I lost 60lbs with these healthy weight loss tips!
Connect with Me
Have you struggled with your weight or an eating disorder as an adult with ADHD? If you are willing, I’d love to hear your story! Feel free to put it in the comments or, if you prefer, join the ADHD Facebook Group and share it there!
My biggest struggle is being a parent to myself. Structure in my day is very hard. My days are very chaotic.
The concept of parenting ourselves is such a helpful, supportive framework. That’s an idea I’ve talked to some of my ADHD clients about not just in terms of learning to self regulate but also in terms of holding ourselves in the balance between accountability and compassion (I call it compassionate accountability). When we mess up, the best version of our parenting selves can push us to make healthy changes while also encouraging us and validating the struggle we experience. As we learn to be our best parent to ourselves, we work toward this balance and it can be so helpful not only in developing strategies to work with our ADHD but helpful in learning to stop shaming ourselves as a way of “motivating” us to do better. Developing this framework IS hard, as you’ve noticed, but keep at it. Learn to approach yourself with compassionate accountability as you work at it. It’s worth it.
GREAT insight! Thank you for this reminder.
I spent a great deal of time to find something like this
I’m glad I could be the one to provide it!
Hello!
I’m 50 and have just realized I have ADHD (inattentive) by having my daughter diagnosed with ADHD (combined) about 4 years ago. I can’t get my physician to even talk to me about it or give me a referral so that I can get assistance. I also have dyslexia that I have been diagnosed with. My husband thought it was hilarious I didn’t know I had ADHD because I’m a train wreck. Reading your article on the link between ADHD and obesity hits so many nails on the head for me.
Any suggestions on how to go about getting treated?
Yes! Check the side bar for the Diagnosis guide I created. It walks you through how to find an ADHD friendly doctor. Hope you find it helpful!
Wow! It makes sense now. I have always been up and down in my weight. I go through a period of being obsessed with health and working out then I stop and gain the weight back. Now that I’m in my early 40’s I feel like I just kind of gave up because I have lost the motivation and being overweight stresses me out because I’m constantly thinking about being smaller but constantly thinking about food.
This couldn’t have come at a more important time for my son. We both have ADHD, and I believe we both have/had the same eating issues. I feel like a horrible mother everytime we weigh him. To his credit his father is 6’5″ and 320, so I get the genetic aspect. But that’s not what’s been the main problem, food is. He turns 7 on Labor Day and he’s already 4’7″ and 135lbs!!! He’s a big kid, bigger than he’s comfortable with. I can luckily relate, so at least I know to buy him comfortable clothes. . Anyone who has carried extra weight understands how important it is to be comfy in your clothes, especially at that age. I was shocked reading your article, but it really does make sense. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that I happened to find it!!! I’m going to print this article out for his Grandparents and to bring to his next doctor’s visit. Thank you so much for bringing attention to this vicious cycle!!! So glad I’m following you! 😉
I have been obese most of my life with a 12 year gap after weight loss surgery. But I moved back to my childhood town and it came back. I’m not as big as I was before but I’m a size 24 soooo. Definitely obese. I wasn’t diagnosed with adhd until my early 40s. At the same time, I was diagnosed with depression and an anxiety disorder. In all honesty, I think they are all related. For 42 to 44 years I just thought I was defective. Now I am relearning what I know about me. There are so many things I thought were my weakness or just “who i am” that I now know are adhd symptoms. I’m just starting a nonprofit farm and for the first time in my life, I’m on track, not overwhelmed and excited about the project. But at my weight and age , I know that keeping up With the demands of a farm are going to be very difficult unless I can get healthier. It is a constant uphill battle but I want this very much so I keep trucking.
This post really made it seem like I wasn’t just a complete failure. I’m 24 years old and have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t until I was about 19 when I was diagnosed with ADHD on top of already having a diagnosis of OCD, anxiety, MDD and disordered eating. I’ve tried relentlessly to lose weight, restrict calories, intermittent fasting, exercise, but it always seems like I can’t make any progress. Your story is just an eye opener that maybe I still have a fighting chance at being skinnier and more successful.
Thanks for sharing!
This would explain so much. For years I have been struggling with my weight. About five years ago I suspected I had ADD and tried to find out, only to be told that I was mistaken. Recently I’ve come across a lot of articles via Pinterest that make me feel more convinced than ever that I was right and I was misdiagnosed. It still feels so weird to me that professionals can get it so wrong, when they’re supposed to be the experts. I’m going to look for a psychologist who specializes in ADHD. I’m done struggling. Tia, thank you for your articles, you’re doing something very important.
I just found you while looking for answers to my teen’s time management problems. I had never considered ADHD, but the more I read, the more I saw not only the kiddo I am working to help, but also my other kiddos, my husband, and my self! ???????? Yesterday, I took your self evaluation for a woman with ADHD, and my scores were high enough to more than likely suggest that what i have always felt was just my stressful, always “ON” brain, is actually ADHD. That actually comes as a relief, but now what to do about it? I don’t love the idea of needing a medication, but the thought of being able to actually sit still and not feel guilty is pretty alluring. Lol.
Anyway, now we have tons of your articles popping up, and they are super helpful here in the beginning stages of figuring out how to help my over-functioning family! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the world, it’s making a difference. ????