ADHD and Binge Eating: Understanding the Brain’s Role in Food Regulation
Supporting yourself to understand and reshape the connection between impulse control and eating.
What Is Binge Eating?
Binge eating involves eating a large amount of food within a short period of time and it is often accompanied by feeling a loss of control (i.e., not being able to stop).
Many people who binge eat describe a sense of disconnect while eating, followed by guilt or discomfort. Binge eating is often a way for the brain and body try to manage stress, low energy or emotional discomfort.
What Is ADHD?
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects focus, motivation, and self-regulation. People with ADHD may find it hard to sustain attention, organise tasks, or control impulses. It is also linked with differences in how the brain processes reward and stimulation.
Dopamine is a key neurotransmitter within the brain that is involved in motivation and pleasure. People with ADHD often have less consistent dopamine activity, which means that ordinary tasks may not provide the same sense of satisfaction or reward. As a result, people often seek ways to restore that feeling of stimulation, like through food.
Does ADHD cause Binge Eating?
No, ADHD does not directly cause Binge Eating, however they are related.
For instance:
1 in 3 people being treated for Binge Eating Disorders also show symptoms of ADHD.
Similarly, adults with ADHD are 4-5 times more likely to report binge eating behaviours compared to those without ADHD.
How are ADHD and Binge eating connected?
Dopamine and Reward
Dopamine helps us feel motivated to seek rewarding experiences. In people with ADHD, dopamine activity tends to fluctuate, creating cycles of low motivation followed by intense reward-seeking.
Food can temporarily raise dopamine levels, giving a short burst of relief or satisfaction. This effect is strongest with foods that are naturally rewarding, such as those high in sugar or fat. Over time, the brain learns that eating produces this feeling and begins to associate food with relief or comfort.
Inhibitory Control and Self-Regulation
Inhibitory control is the ability to pause and choose before acting. It relies on the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for planning, decision making and self-control. In people with ADHD, this region tends to function a little differently, making it harder to filter distractions or delay immediate rewards.
Stress, emotional exhaustion, and fatigue can make this even harder. In these moments, the brain looks for fast relief and food, is one of the easiest and most reliable ways to achieve that.
Many people with ADHD notice that evenings are the hardest time for food control. After a full day of focus and decision-making, the brain has less energy left for self-regulation.
Irregular eating patterns
It is also common for people with ADHD to forget meals or eat at inconsistent times due to distraction or hyperfocus on other tasks. This can lead to periods of intense hunger later in the day, increasing the likelihood of eating quickly or in larger amounts than intended.
What does this mean for treatment?
Understanding this connection changes how treatment is approached. Instead of focusing solely on food behaviour, care can also address attention, impulse and emotion regulation.
For some, therapy that combines cognitive-behavioural strategies with ADHD-informed techniques (like task structuring, external cues, or medication management), can help reduce both distractibility and binge urges.
For others, mindfulness-based or compassion-focused approaches can help restore a kinder relationship with food and body signals. Similarly, somatic therapy can help people with binge eating and ADHD by supporting nervous system regulation and body awareness, making it easier to notice internal cues, manage urges and respond with greater choice, rather than reactivity.
Both ADHD and binge eating are often misunderstood. They’re not about poor self-control or lack of motivation. They’re about how the brain processes reward, attention, and emotion. Understanding that can help replace shame with curiosity and encourage seeking support rather than self-blame.
Reach out for support today
At Reach Psychology, we offer compassionate, evidence-based support for individuals navigating ADHD and eating related concerns.
Our eating disorder accredited psychologist takes an integrative and person-centred approach to care, drawing from evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Somatic frameworks. They will work collaboratively to find the therapeutic technique best suited to you and your challenges.
At Reach Psychology, we provide support both in-person in Melbourne Bayside (near Brighton and Hampton), and via Telehealth if that feels more accessible for you.
Whether you’re seeking support for ADHD, binge eating, or simply a better understanding of yourself we encourage you to reach out to our clinical psychologist for support today.
References
Appolinario, J. C., de Moraes, C. E. F., Sichieri, R., Hay, P., Faraone, S. V., & Mattos, P. (2024). Associations of adult ADHD symptoms with binge eating spectrum conditions, psychiatric and somatic comorbidity, and healthcare utilization. Revista Brasileira De Psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil: 1999), 46, e20243728. https://doi.org/10.47626/1516-4446-2024-3728
Seymour, K. E., Reinblatt, S. P., Benson, L., & Carnell, S. (2015). Overlapping neurobehavioral circuits in ADHD, obesity, and binge eating: Evidence from Neuroimaging Research. CNS Spectrums, 20(4), 401–411. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1092852915000383
Svedlund, N. E., Norring, C., Ginsberg, Y., & von Hausswolff-Juhlin, Y. (2017). Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among adult eating disorder patients. BMC Psychiatry, 17, 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-1093-1