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Eating disorder recovery is a multifaceted journey, and for those who are neurodivergent, the path can be particularly complex due to unique cognitive and sensory experiences. One crucial aspect to address in the process is the ways in which the scarcity mindset—a psychological phenomenon where restriction leads to bingeing—is compounded by the distinct challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals.
The Restriction-Scarcity Connection
The scarcity mindset is deeply rooted in evolutionary psychology. Historically, the unpredictability of food availability meant that our ancestors had to make the most of what they could get their hands on. This survival mechanism is why we might experience a strong urge to binge when something that was previously restricted becomes available.
For neurodivergent individuals, this scarcity mindset is further complicated by how needs and wants are perceived. Differentiating between them can trigger feelings of shame or inadequacy. When certain wants or needs are neglected, there is an increase in a sense of urgency around getting them met. This heightened awareness of scarcity often leads to a fear of losing control, which can result in overly restrictive behaviors aimed at preventing a binge.
When a binge does occur, the blame often falls on poor self-control rather than the initial restrictive practices. This misattribution of blame can hinder recovery and perpetuate a cycle of restriction and bingeing.
What Gets Restricted?
Food
Money and resources
Safety
Love and support
Information and pleasure
For neurodivergent individuals, certain cognitive and sensory aspects are inherently restricted, relative to neurotypical internal experiences:
Focus and attention span: Difficulty maintaining focus for very long and the sudden stop-and-start of hyperfixations can exacerbate the feeling of scarcity.
Interest and motivation: Unpredictable fluctuations can make certain needs feel more urgent, like we have to do them right now or they'll never get met because we don't know when we'll feel that motivation spurt again.
Time: They say "we all have the same 24 hours in a day," but that's simply not true when activities of daily living take you longer, when getting started is a chore, when transitions need to go slower than expected to self-accommodate and prevent a meltdown, and so on. There is simply less time available for ND folks.
Sensory tolerance: Sensory sensitivities can restrict the ability to enjoy or even access certain foods and environments. There is scarcity in how much space we may have left in our sensory "cup" before it overflows.
Memory: Issues with memory can impact the ability to plan and respond to needs effectively. Because of working memory differences, it can feel like we can only fit so much in our brains before they'll full and we're overwhelmed trying to carry it all.
Implications for Eating Disorder Recovery
Addressing restrictions that are an inherent part of the neurodivergent experience is not a matter of simply increasing availability, permission, and cognitive reframing as it often is in eating disorders alone. Since they are not rooted in oppression, there is no target for anger, and we have to be careful not to turn it inward. The urge to do so - just to do something - is a big reason why there is such a heightened risk for EDs in the neurodivergent population.
Barriers and solutions for challenging mental and physical food scarcity
Food Availability
Barrier: Requires financial security and may evoke fear
Solution: Making food available at all times unconditionally doesn't have to be "all food always." Rotating between one item at a time that is less accessible and legalizing eating the same foods over and over is useful in reducing shame.
Preferred foods an option whenever non-preferred foods are served
Barrier: Ableism in conventional advice like "variety is the spice of life"
Solution: Bringing prepared foods along, making requests if possible
All foods fit
Barrier: Doesn't take sensory sensitivity, chronic illness, allergies, and intolerances into account
Solution: Allow for the reframe "All foods that feel good to my body fit" and/or "All foods can fit, but all foods don't have to fit," whichever is relevant to you.
Final Thoughts
"For people with eating disorders, self-imposed mechanisms of regulation and control often feel like the only things standing between them and complete and utter chaos - physically, psychologically, emotionally, and interpersonally." -Rebecca Lester, "Famished: Eating Disorders and Failed Care in America"
Working on recovery goals or even things like improving executive functioning to ease the emotional burden of non-compliance with capitalistic expectations are extremely challenging to do without falling back into or exacerbating scarcity mindset. Even in therapy, measurable goals often focus on self-regulation, self-discipline, and maintaining control in the name of empowerment, sometimes inadvertently emphasizing the extent to which neurodivergent brains must be "tamed" or "hacked" in order to succeed within neuro-normative standards. So, how can we work with this without causing more harm than good?
Reasonable, relevant, and semi-flexible rules: e.g. saving money ("I can spend up to $10 here, or more only if it's something I can't stop thinking about") or getting up on time ("I can relax in bed until 8:30 but I have to be awake and on my phone so I don't fall back asleep")
Natural consequences, not punishment: Instead of "If I don't do XYZ, I don't get Y," just let the result serve as a built-in motivation. Follow up with self-compassion.
Minimize demands: Instead of "I have to..." try "I want to be able to..." - not just changing the language but replacing whatever you're expected to do by others with what within those expectations sounds ideal to your future self.
Remember that what motivates us can parallel the eating disorder voice. If you notice the thought "I'll be happy when..." preceding your motivation to act, pause and reflect on whether this has been the case thus far. Endurance and powering through the intolerable in the present (aka "white knuckling") for the sake of future self on a regular basis is a certain catalyst for burnout.
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