The Hidden Link Between ADHD and Binge Eating
When people think about ADHD, they think about attention, focus, and hyperactivity. Binge eating rarely enters the conversation, and when it does, it tends to get explained away as impulsivity or emotional eating, a narrative that obscures what the research is actually showing. Among those with bulimia nervosa, ADHD prevalence ranges from 15 to 54%,…
Eating Disorders in Autistic Individuals
When most people think about autism and eating, they think about ARFID. It makes sense — avoidant restrictive food intake disorder is the diagnosis most commonly associated with neurodivergent eating patterns, and the connection is real. But it’s far from the whole picture. Research tells us that approximately 23% of autistic individuals meet criteria for…
Predisposition Is Not Destiny: Genetics, Environment, and How Eating Disorders Develop
Can you be born with an eating disorder? It is a question clinicians hear often, reflecting a search for explanation or concern about family risk. The short answer is no: eating disorders are not present at birth in the way congenital conditions are. But that answer alone misses what research has made increasingly clear. Many…
Understanding ARFID: Causes, Symptoms, and When to Seek Help
When most people think of eating disorders, they often picture someone overly concerned with their body image—restricting calories, skipping meals, and obsessing over weight. But what if we told you that not all eating disorders revolve around body image? In fact, there’s an entire diagnosis that has little to do with appearance at all: Avoidant/Restrictive…
What Is Food Freedom?
What is food freedom? Without a definitive finish line to recovery from an eating disorder or disordered eating, it can be hard to identify when or how you can reach a mentality of food freedom. Read on to learn more about food freedom, how to challenge your eating disorder to reach food freedom and what…
Joyful Movement: Rebuilding A Healthy Relationship With Movement In Eating Disorder Recovery
In eating disorder recovery, rebuilding a healthy relationship with movement is a necessary but difficult step. Individuals learning to let go of their eating disorder often grapple with ingrained behaviors and beliefs that once dictated their relationship with movement. Redeveloping a more joyful and healthy relationship to exercise requires a lot of patience and self-compassion….
When Is It Time To Leave School For Eating Disorder Treatment? Here’s How To Know.
If you’re reading this post, then it’s likely that you’re struggling immensely with an eating disorder. Figuring out if and when you need to take time away from school to focus on eating disorder recovery is almost as distressing as having an eating disorder in the first place. But, much like your eating disorder becomes easier…
The Interplay Between Codependency And Eating Disorders
Early eating disorder recovery is tough. It’s worth it, but it may not always feel like it. Without your usual coping mechanisms, you are likely to experience distress or discomfort. At some point, you may start seeking anything outside yourself to find something to make yourself feel better. This includes getting into a relationship. “Love”…
The Weight Loss Resolution: How January Became a Battlefield
New Year’s resolutions weren’t always about weight loss. That shift happened gradually as commercial interests recognized an opportunity in a centuries-old tradition of January renewal. For most of recorded history, the practice of making resolutions at the turn of the year centered on moral or spiritual renewal. Ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods, medieval…
Can You Develop ARFID As an Adult?
In 2013, the DSM-5 introduced avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder as a diagnosis for eating patterns so restrictive they interfere with health and daily life, capturing experiences that had been dismissed for decades as extreme pickiness. The disorder affects approximately 4.5% of the general population—a prevalence rate significantly higher than anorexia nervosa—yet remains largely invisible in…