Study indicates anorexia in women and autistic traits link

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Women with anorexia show lasting autistic traits, research reveals

I could have told them that lol. My anorexia presents itself like any other special interest, and has accompanying sensory issues as the article describes. Rigid thinking also plays a big part, my own brand of 'logic' on food matters is stronger than the physical need to consume. That's pretty powerful.

An interesting read, though it states that these findings are new; I am sure I have read scientific material on this before, beyond my own speculation.

I wonder if they would find the same correlation in males with anorexia.

I have read of this link time and again, like with ADHD, but no matter how often this gets quoted, I remain non-anorexic and non-ADHD.

Guess it isn't absolute.

Well, you'd never think I was anorexic if you saw me. And today someone told me that I'm more active than I think. I think the only way I'd lose weight is to actually become anorexic, but obviously I don't want to starve myself until I die and I like food too much, anyway.

I had a food obsession that lasted for more or less two years which caused me to lose quite a bit of weight, become dangerously skinny and lose my period. And then the obsession faded away by itself and I slowly gained weight. Not sure if this is counted as anorexia. Now I'm around 54-55 kg and I guess it's quite a healthy as I'm 170 cm, but I have stretch marks and cellulite all over my body thanks to it.

Seeing a therapist for help with anorexia is how it got picked up that I might be on the spectrum. She referred me onto a specialist for an assessment and I got diagnosed as a result. I never would have know otherwise (though it explains a lot of things that have plagued me my entire life).

i've been AN-r for years, currently in remission.
still having eating problems even with recovery. possibly relapsing, too soon to say.

the connection it can have with AS is obvious to me.

but like the article says, eating problems are common in autistic people in general. most aren't anorectic or anything, but with sensory issues, routine structures, fixations, aversion to change, etc. this can contribute a lot in an actual ED.

i think also, eating disorders are common in people with other mental illness and victims of abuse. autism isn't a mental illness of course, but autistic people are susceptible to both mental illness and abuse.

From what I've heard, anorexia can be described as a physical manifestation of anxiety. And let's face it, with today's political climate, it sucks to be an aspie because a lot of us are catastrophic thinkers with obsessive personalities. That doesn't make us less than NT's, but it's still hard to put up with.

I was anorexic. Sometimes I want to go back to it when I do not have control over anything else in my life. I also obsess about exercise at times.

Since obsession about something is a common AS trait then this should not be surprising.

This is why I don't diet anymore. When I was 19 I nearly starved myself to death obsessed trying to fit into designer size 0 clothes back in '09. I will not touch a scale and I will not ever get into the habit of counting calories.

Autism-anorexia link 'must be acted on' - BBC

It makes sense, especially in undiagnosed adolescents... that co morbid anxiety related conditions, caused by inhospitable environments would be present.
The need for control of something... anything at all really, to give some sense of predictability and routine. Pre independence the control areas available to young people are generally limited to basic survival needs like food and shelter.
This would be a good step forward, for the NHS to alter their eating disorder treatments to accommodate people with disabilities such as autism.

I remember seeing a bit of a documentary about anorexia that was showing these women in some treatment facility. They really did not seem autistic at all. So not sure there is necessarily a link...but people with autism can be more prone to anxiety I think which anorexia can be linked to anxiety.

I have aspergers and anxiety, but I've never had an eating disorder. I have found since I got PTSD it was harder to eat...but that's not the same thing as refusing to eat.