Emerging research suggests that people with autism and ADHD face heightened risks of disordered eating, prompting calls for more inclusive, personalised treatment approaches that recognise neurodiversity’s impact on diagnosis and care.
People with autism and ADHD may face a greater risk of disordered eating, but specialists say the evidence is still too limited for clinicians to rely on standard approaches alone. The emerging case for better care is being driven not just by researchers, but by patients whose own experiences of therapy and medication can point to patterns that formal assessments miss.
That matters because eating disorders are linked to serious physical and psychiatric harm. Research summarised in studies on the epidemiology of eating disorders shows that anorexia nervosa carries the highest mortality of many mental disorders, while longer-term follow-up studies have found that suicide accounts for a significant share of deaths among people with anorexia.
The concern is not simply about identifying more cases, but about whether current services are equipped to recognise how neurodiversity shapes symptoms and treatment response. The article argues that cognitive remediation therapy, a form of treatment designed to improve thinking patterns and flexibility, may be less effective for patients with anorexia who also show high levels of autistic traits. It also suggests that people with eating disorders often feel their concerns are not fully heard by standard services.
Research cited in the article indicates that about 4.7% of autistic people were known to have an eating disorder, with similar figures reported for people with ADHD, compared with 1% in the general population. The piece says those numbers are not yet sufficient to settle how best to diagnose or treat these overlapping conditions, but they do strengthen the case for more inclusive research, better training and service design shaped by people with lived experience.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
