Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, compulsive snacking, etc.) are not only linked to body image issues or a need for control without reason.
For highly sensitive individuals, such as those who are gifted (HP) or who have attention-deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADHD), they often reflect emotional and cognitive self-regulation mechanisms.
An Overfunctioning Brain
The brains of gifted individuals and those with ADHD are hyperconnected, hyperstimulated, and hypervigilant.
This constant mental activity creates an internal tension that is difficult to calm: rumination, looping thoughts, hypersensitivity to criticism or injustice, difficulty “switching off.”
Food then becomes a way to pause the brain:
Eating provides immediate sensory soothing (through dopamine and serotonin).
Conversely, restricting or controlling food intake gives an illusion of mastery in an inner world often experienced as chaotic.
Emotional Dysregulation
ADHD and gifted profiles often struggle to regulate their emotions.
This emotional dysregulation leads to impulsive behaviors, including binge-eating episodes.
Food then becomes:
- an escape from emotional overload,
- or a bodily anchor when the mind is overactive.
Strong emotions (anger, frustration, boredom, emptiness, intense joy) are not always identified or processed — they are felt in the body and sometimes soothed through eating.
Sensory Hypersensitivity and Need for Stimulation
People with ADHD or who are gifted often feel physical sensations more intensely: textures, tastes, smells, contrasts…
Some seek comforting or highly stimulating foods (fatty, sugary, crunchy) to meet a sensory-stimulation need; others, on the contrary, avoid feelings of heaviness or digestive discomfort and become overly controlling with food.
In both cases, the relationship with food is sensory-amplified.
Rebuilding a Peaceful Relationship with yourself
Supporting these profiles requires a holistic approach:
- Understanding neurodivergent functioning (hyperstimulation, dopamine, impulsivity).
- Learning to regulate emotions differently: through movement, breathing, creativity, therapy, mindfulness.
- Developing self-compassion: moving away from moral judgment (“I lack willpower”) and understanding the adaptive meaning of the eating behavior.
Often, it is when the gifted/ADHD individual learns to listen to their deeper needs — for stimulation, safety, recognition — that their relationship with food begins to calm.
Conclusion
Eating disorders in highly sensitive individuals such as gifted or ADHD profiles are not “food whims” but emotional survival strategies.
Eating (or restricting food) becomes a way to express what cannot yet be put into words: the need for balance, calm, and inner coherence. It is a form of emotion management through food control, a way to channel emotional overflow. As with most emotion-regulation strategies, when it begins to create social problems, it becomes a real issue. That is when one must learn to better understand oneself — to recognize one’s patterns and avoid adding a new problem to a potential already existing one.
Gabriel RAFI
