The study that I have read today focused more on the cognitive similarities between autism and anorexia, such as difficulty and dislike for set- shifting (set shifting is moving from one thing to another) and a superior eye for detail. These things I do think are closer to the mark. Set shifting can be better explained as task orientation. It seems that anorexics are very task focused types that do not like to shift from one thing to another without. We do not tend to get bored of doing the same thing, we like routines and doing the same thing every day. I think this is interesting to look at if it is one the autism spectrum. I would like to make it clear that since recovery I have no problem shifting from one task to another and I do not like doing the same thing day in and day out. In fact, I fell blessed to work to my own schedule so that I can do something different every day.

For the study, an experimental group consisted of 66 clinically diagnosed anorexics and 66 healthy controls, all female.  Participants completed self-report questionnaires including the Short (10- Item) Version Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ-10) questionnaire (the first time this has been implemented in this population), the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Work and Social Adjustment Scale. Group differences and the relationship between autistic traits and other questionnaire measures were investigated.

This study set out to investigate autistic traits in individuals with anorexia. Individuals with anorexia scored significantly higher on the AQ-10 than typical control participants. Furthermore,analysis of responses to individual items on the test scale revealed significant differences for the majority of questions. This supports the hypothesis that women with anorexia possess a greater number of autistic traits than typical women. It gets really interesting when the cognitive types are looked into:

“In terms of ‘cognitive types’, patients with anorexia were significantly more likely to be Type S (systemizing significantly better than empathy). Because Type S is usually more common in males, the finding that females with anorexia show this more ‘masculinized’ cognitive profile is anomalous, and warrants further exploration. The link between Type S and anorexia merits some consideration. A person who is ‘obsessed’ with calories, body size, and body weight may be directing their strong systemizing towards the domain of food or food intake, and indeed may have systemized the relationship between food and weight to a high degree of detail. One view is that their anorexia is then the result of their systemizing having latched onto this particular domain, the implication being that if their systemizing had latched onto a different domain, their behavior would not necessarily have resulted in anorexia, but instead would have had a different obsessive focus”.

Now that is something to ponder on! This is pretty much throwing it out there that anorexia is the female form of autism. I just love it that people are thinking of anorexia as more than an eating disorder, whether this is right or wrong, its refreshing!

I think that these similarities are interesting, but I do not think that currently these similarities are any more telling about anorexia. The correlation’s were mostly on issues that involved mood and sociability, and malnutrition certainly effects these elements and many more within a person. I think it is a bit of a chicken or egg situation. I do however applaud the way that researchers are thinking about anorexia and looking at it as a mental and physiological disorder rather than simply young women wanting to be thin. I have always known that anorexia was so much more than a desire to be thin. The more we compare anorexia to other disorders, see similarities and question the causal relationships the closer we will get to understanding.

Want something spicy to add to this little cauldron of thought? In her master’s thesis (read it here) Grimes posits that introversion is not the opposite of extroversion, but that they are two different traits altogether. And she proposes something that has come up here from time to time: That introversion actually is on the autism scale. I consider myself in many aspects an introvert and this is something that I am always fascinated in with other anorexics and clients. I DO see trends in introversion and extroversion in different forms of eating disorders, but that I will discuss in another post!

There is no piece of research that does not contribute something and there is no area that should not been looked into.

And finally a note on how this study relates to treatment:

“Clinicians may find it useful to shift the focus of intervention away from the battle over weight and towards helping the patient to recognize that they have a mind that is more attracted to systems and less to people’s emotional lives”

Hallelujah!