Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jul;19(7):41.
doi: 10.1007/s11920-017-0791-9.

Autism Spectrum Disorder in Anorexia Nervosa: An Updated Literature Review

Heather Westwood  1 , Kate Tchanturia  2   3   4
Affiliations

Autism Spectrum Disorder in Anorexia Nervosa: An Updated Literature Review

Heather Westwood et al. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2017 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose of review: There is growing interest in the relationship between anorexia nervosa (AN) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This review aimed to synthesise the most recent research on this topic to identify gaps in current knowledge, directions for future research and reflect on implications for treatment.

Recent findings: Eight studies assessing the presence of ASD in AN were identified in the literature along with three studies examining the impact of symptoms of ASD on treatment outcome. Research with young people and using parental-report measures suggest lower rates of co-morbidity than previous adult studies.

Conclusions: The wide range of diagnostic tools, methodologies and populations studied make it difficult to determine the prevalence of ASD in AN. Despite this, studies consistently report over-representation of symptoms of ASD in AN. Co-morbid AN and ASD may require more intensive treatment or specifically tailored interventions. Future longitudinal research and female-specific diagnostic tools would help elucidate the relationship between these two disorders.

Keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Autism spectrum disorder; Eating disorder; Female ASD; Systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

Heather Westwood and Kate Tchanturia declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

References

    1. APA . Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5. Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2013.
    1. Micali N, Hagberg KW, Petersen I, Treasure JL. The incidence of eating disorders in the UK in 2000–2009: findings from the General Practice Research Database. BMJ Open. 2013;3:e002646. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002646. - PMC - PubMed
    1. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Eating disorders: core interventions in the management of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders. British Psychological Society; 2004. - PubMed
    1. Hoek HW. Incidence, prevalence and mortality of anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders. Current opinion in psychiatry. 2006;19(4):389–394. doi: 10.1097/01.yco.0000228759.95237.78. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brugha T, Cooper SA, McManus S, Purdon S, Smith J, Scott FJ et al. Estimating the prevalence of autism spectrum conditions in adults: extending the 2007 adult psychiatric morbidity survey. In: care TICfhas, editor. NHS; 2012.

Publication types