Creese Melissa, Hampton Sarah, Brede Janina, Babb Charli, Elliott Mair, Serpell Lucy, Jones Catherine R G, Fox John R E, Loewenberger Alana, Mandy Will
Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Eur Eat Disord Rev. 2025 Jul;33(4):825-834. doi: 10.1002/erv.3186. Epub 2025 Mar 9.
Autism and eating disorders (ED) frequently co-occur, particularly in women. Autistic individuals are often undiagnosed when they present to mental health services and many receive their autism diagnosis during or after ED treatment. This study sought to understand the experiences of autistic women with co-occurring anorexia nervosa (AN) receiving an autism diagnosis.
Secondary data analysis was conducted on 17 semi-structured interviews with autistic women with AN using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants had a diagnosis of autism, had current or past experience of AN, were female-identifying and aged 18 or above.
Participants experienced missed opportunities for autism diagnosis along with misdiagnoses and misunderstandings from healthcare professionals. Participants tended to receive their diagnosis at the point of crisis and experienced being passed between autism and ED services. Receiving a diagnosis helped participants make sense of their experiences and take control of their lives but also brought feelings of shock and distress.
While autism diagnosis is often a positive experience for autistic women with AN, a range of emotions can be experienced. The findings highlight a need for better and earlier identification of autism among women with EDs, alongside appropriate post-diagnosis support and ED treatment that is adapted to autistic individuals' needs.
自闭症与饮食失调（ED）经常同时出现，尤其是在女性中。自闭症患者在寻求心理健康服务时往往未被诊断出来，许多人在饮食失调治疗期间或之后才获得自闭症诊断。本研究旨在了解患有神经性厌食症（AN）的自闭症女性在获得自闭症诊断时的经历。
对17名患有AN的自闭症女性进行的半结构化访谈进行二次数据分析，采用反思性主题分析。参与者被诊断患有自闭症，有当前或过去的AN经历，自我认同为女性，年龄在18岁及以上。
参与者经历了自闭症诊断的错失机会，以及来自医疗保健专业人员的误诊和误解。参与者往往在危机时刻获得诊断，并经历在自闭症和饮食失调服务之间辗转。获得诊断有助于参与者理解自己的经历并掌控自己的生活，但也带来了震惊和痛苦的感觉。
虽然自闭症诊断对患有AN的自闭症女性来说通常是一次积极的经历，但她们可能会经历一系列情绪。研究结果凸显了在患有饮食失调症的女性中更好、更早地识别自闭症的必要性，以及在诊断后提供适当的支持和适应自闭症个体需求的饮食失调治疗。
