Adapting eating disorder treatment for adults with ADHD

Co-designing clinical guidelines

Despite strong evidence linking Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and eating disorders (ED), there are currently no clinical guidelines for healthcare professionals on adapting ED treatment for people with ADHD. This gap in guidance is significant given recent increases in both ADHD diagnoses and ED presentations, with research indicating that co-occurring ADHD and ED is associated with greater symptom severity and poorer treatment outcomes. Our project aims to address this gap by co-designing guidelines to support clinicians in adapting eating disorder treatment to improve outcomes for this under-served population.*

This research is being conducted by the Sussex Partnership Innovation and Research in Eating Disorders (SPIRED) research team—an innovative, co-produced eating disorder research clinic with close ties to the Sussex Eating Disorder Service (SEDS) and University of Sussex. SPIRED aims to bring together the expertise of clinicians and researchers with the vital perspectives of people with lived experience of eating disorders.

The research team includes clinicians, researchers and experts by experience, taking a neurodiversity-affirming approach and keeping lived experience perspectives centred throughout the project.

Aim: To co-design and disseminate guidelines for clinicians to adapt eating disorder treatment for adults with co-occurring ADHD and ED.

Methods: This mixed methods study will gather insights through semi structured interviews and an online survey of eating disorder professionals.

Lead researcher, Eva Eastman: eva.eastman@nhs.net

GET INVOLVED

Online survey

Do you encounter adults with ADHD and eating disorders in your practice? We are inviting healthcare professionals across all settings to share your expertise in our brief survey to help develop practical clinical guidelines for this underserved population.

Your insights will directly contribute to improving treatment outcomes and supporting better care. The survey takes just 15 minutes to complete.

TAKE THE SURVEY

INTERVIEWS

We are seeking the following interview participants:

People aged 18+ with diagnosed or self-identified ADHD and experience of accessing eating disorder treatment in the community

Clinical professionals with experience supporting people with ADHD in any healthcare setting
Professionals supporting people with ADHD in non-healthcare settings

If one of these groups describes you, and you are interested in taking part in this research, please email eva.eastman@nhs.net for further information.

We are committed to ensuring our research represents diverse experiences. We particularly welcome participants from all ethnic backgrounds, gender identities, sexualities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and those who are disabled and / or neurodivergent.

The study has received ethical approval from the University of Bristol Health Sciences FREC and is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey, Sussex. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

KEEP IN TOUCH

Let us know if you would like to receive updates about our study on adapting eating disorder treatment for adults with ADHD, including findings and resources as they become available.

All contact details will be stored securely in accordance with UK data protection law (GDPR) and used only to share study updates, findings and future related resources.

REFERENCES

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Fernández-Aranda, F. et al. (2013) ‘ADHD symptomatology in eating disorders: a secondary psychopathological measure of severity?’, BMC Psychiatry, 13(1), p. 166. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-13-166.

Kaisari, P., Dourish, C.T. and Higgs, S. (2017) ‘Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and disordered eating behaviour: A systematic review and a framework for future research’, Clinical Psychology Review, 53, pp. 109–121. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2017.03.002.

Karjalainen, L. et al. (2016) ‘Eating disorders and eating pathology in young adult and adult patients with ESSENCE’, Comprehensive Psychiatry, 66, pp. 79–86. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2015.12.009.

Levin, R.L. and Rawana, J.S. (2016) ‘Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and eating disorders across the lifespan: A systematic review of the literature’, Clinical Psychology Review, 50, pp. 22–36. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2016.09.010.

Namimi-Halevi, C. et al. (2023) ‘Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is associated with disordered eating in adolescents’, Pediatric Research [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-023-02925-3.

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NICE (2024) Eating disorders: How common is it? Available at: https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/eating-disorders/background-information/prevalence/.

Norton, B. et al. (2024) ‘Overlap of eating disorders and neurodivergence: the role of inhibitory control’, BMC Psychiatry, 24(1), p. 454. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05837-6.

O’Nions, E. et al. (2025) ‘Life expectancy and years of life lost for adults with diagnosed ADHD in the UK: matched cohort study’, The British Journal of Psychiatry, pp. 1–8. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2024.199.

Ruiz Feliu, M. et al. (2022) ‘Presence and influence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in adults with an eating disorder’, Anales del Sistema Sanitario de Navarra, 45(1), p. e0984. Available at: https://doi.org/10.23938/ASSN.0984.

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Svedlund, N.E. et al. (2017) ‘Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among adult eating disorder patients’, BMC Psychiatry, 17(1), p. 19. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-1093-1.

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