Pica (pronounced pee-kah) is an uncommon eating/mental disorder where the person suffering from pica shows a pattern of eating non-food/non-nutritional items. Some of the items a person with pica may eat are coins, dirt, grass, chalk, feces, paper, and soap. Pica is most common among women who are pregnant and young children, and so in order for a person to be diagnosed with pica she must consume these non food items for longer than one month. In pregnant women, the disorder usually goes away when their child is born or the pregnancy ends.
What causes pica?
There has not been enough research done on pica, in fact, very little research exists on the subject. It is thought by some experts that pica is caused by a mineral deficiency such as an iron deficiency, and often times the non-food items that the pica sufferer chooses to eat contain iron, whether they know it or not. Pica is also not technically considered an eating disorder. Due to the limited research done on the disorder, it has for the time being been classified as a mental disorder. Other things that have been linked to pica are a traumatic event that is causing the sufferer to experience post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), child abuse, sexual abuse, disorganized family dynamics, low socioeconomic status, low activity of the dopamine system in the brain, and mental retardation or other learning disorders. People who are encouraged by their culture to practice pica do not actually suffer from the disorder. In many cultures men and women eat non food/non nutritional items in a ritualistic fashion.
The symptoms of pica
Children that are diagnosed with pica often eat items such as cloth, paint, insects, rocks, cigarette butts and hair. The symptoms of pica vary depending on what the person is eating. In most instances of pica disorder in young children, you would not know your child has pica until a medical professional finds an object stuck in your child's intestines, or finds bowel perforations, toxoplasmosis, constipation, or infections. Most children do not eat their non food items in front of other children or adults.
Treatments for pica
If you have a child that suffers from pica, the good news is that in most cases, the pica tapers off by the third year of life. There are treatments for the disorder that have been proven somewhat effective, such as behavior modification and therapy. More often than not, when the vitamin or mineral deficiency is addressed and added to the pica sufferer's diet, the pica will go away on its own.
I have included some links below to pica support groups and other helpful information:
experienceproject.com---PICA SUPPORT GROUP
Samantha Schulz - Samantha Schulz has been writing since the age of 5. She enjoys writing poetry, short stories, and informational articles. She recieved a ...
