ADHD Girls at Risk for Eating Disorders

Study shows that girls with ADHD are more likely to develop eating disorders and early onset depression.

Findings from two studies presented by Joseph Biederman, MD, from Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, showed that, compared to controls girls with attention deficit disorder (ADD ADHD) were more likely to develop an eating disorder or to develop major depression.

“Very little information is available about ADHD in girls and women, and these 2 studies showed that girls with ADHD can have eating-disorder problems that are not seen in boys, and they can also have life-threatening depression,” Biederman told Medscape Psychiatry.

"People who have certain characteristics with ADHD such as conduct disorders, eating disorders, or depression require very different treatment and follow a more complicated path as they grow into adulthood," he added.

The study found adolescent girls were 3.6 times more likely to develop an eating disorder, defined as bulimia or anorexia nervosa.

Out of the girls studied during a five-year follow-up 16% (or 20 girls) with ADHD and 5% (or 5 girls) developed an eating disorder.

Girls with ADHD were also more likely to have higher rates of depression, anxiety disorders and disruptive behavior. They were 5.4 times more likely to develop major depression than girls without ADHD.

Also studied for five years, those girls with ADHD experienced major depression earlier than the controls. The depression also had greater severity, such as suicidal thoughts and behavior. On average, the onset of the depression developed at age 17 and lasted almost three years – twice as long as the girls without ADHD (1.3 years). Dr. Biederman noted, "3 years in the life of a 17-year-old girl is a significant chunk of life."

"These findings indicate that major depression emerging in the context of ADHD is an impairing and severe comorbidity worthy of further clinical and scientific interest," said Dr. Biederman.

These findings were presented in a symposium at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 54th Annual Meeting. Symposium 25. October 23-28, 2007.