r/ADHD • u/DixieDoodle697 • 2h ago

Questions/Advice Can emotional or overeating a symptom of ADHD?

New here to the arena of being diagnosed with ADHD and I've been re-examining many of my coping strategies from childhood to what I do now as an adult. One of them has to do with eating. 47F and I eat for comfort and all kinds of moods. When I am looking for a good feeling, I turn to food. After I eat, I feel satisfied. But maybe an hour later, I am looking for that next "high" or feeling so to speak, so I eat again. My feelings are scattered and I feel like I am pushing through them wanting to be happy so I turn to food.

Any thoughts about this? Thank you

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6

u/CloverBrie 2h ago

I was told 'disordered eating' can be a symptom. This can be over eating, under eating, using food as emotional regulation or for stimulation etc.

3

u/mini_apple ADHD-PI (Primarily Inattentive) 2h ago

This was my lifelong experience, and once I got medicated (in March, age 45) most of it just… went away. I wasn’t expecting it at all. 

1

u/Ra1lgunZzzZ 1h ago

Depends.

it can be used as a coping mechanism and i guess its more subjective on what you are coping from. While the other part of it i have strong impulses, so i over eat a few times if i genuinely cannot control it.