Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined in the DSM-5-TR by an enduring pattern of inattention, hyperactivity–impulsivity, or both, of a severity that disrupts functioning or development, with several symptoms evident before age 12, present in two or more settings, and producing clear interference with social, academic, or occupational performance. It is specified by current severity and presentation: predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive/impulsive, or combined (American Psychiatric Association, 2022).

In nutritional psychology, ADHD is significant because the executive, reward-related, and affective-regulation mechanisms that characterize it – such as inhibitory control, delay discounting, and emotion dysregulation – are the same mechanisms implicated in a range of dietary intake behaviors, including loss-of-control and binge eating, emotional and addictive-like eating, irregular meal patterning, and elevated intake of energy-dense foods (Makin et al., 2025, PMC).