Find a therapist to help with ADHD

Those with ADHD often turn to food to cope with emotions or to address a dopamine shortage.

Poor interoception may lead to not noticing hunger or fullness until it is extreme.

Issues with executive functioning may create challenges with meal planning.

This post was co-authored by Julia Williams, Senior Clinical Research Assistant, OHSU Center for Mental Health Innovation

When Jamie received an ADHD diagnosis in graduate school, her lifelong struggles with disordered eating and body dissatisfaction suddenly made more sense. Before then, she attributed her body image struggles to growing up in a thin-obsessed, social-media-hooked society while navigating the woes of dating in young adulthood.

The ADHD diagnosis reframed her relationship with food and her body. What she once labeled “emotional eating” became understandable as ADHD-related emotional regulation challenges. Instead of shame-spiraling after a binge-eating episode, she was able to view the drive to eat as related to differences in how her brain processes dopamine.

In recent years, researchers have discovered just how commonly ADHD co‑occurs with body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and weight‑related struggles. Individuals with ADHD are 3.8 times more likely to have any eating disorder, 4.1 times more likely to have binge eating disorder, and 4.7 times more likely to experience binge-eating episodes compared to non-ADHD peers.

In addition, children with ADHD report significantly greater body image concerns and disordered eating behaviors than their non‑ADHD peers. ADHD traits such as impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, and executive functioning challenges are now understood as contributors to eating disorder risk.

For those diagnosed with ADHD, understanding the ADHD brain can be the first step toward self-understanding and self-compassion. Below are five ADHD symptoms that may contribute to body dissatisfaction and food struggles, along with strategies for navigating each one.

1. Emotional regulation difficulties and emotional eating

Emotional dysregulation is a common symptom of ADHD, and it describes intense, rapidly changing emotions........

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