DiagnosisĪ physician who suspects pica will need to perform an evaluation to assess for possible intestinal blockages, anemia, or toxicity from the consumed substances. Consuming non-food items helps the person feel full. Dieting and malnourishment can lead to pica. ![]() Some people enjoy the textures or flavors of such nonfood items as clay, and it is acceptable behavior in some cultures. Mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia or obsessive-compulsive disorder, may lead to pica as a way for the person to cope with the mental health condition. In fact, in pregnant women, anemia (low iron) is often the cause of pica, because the body develops unusual cravings in response to low nutrient levels. However, an iron, zinc, or calcium deficiency may be associated with pica in some cases. Other substances that are ingested include cigarette butts, ashes, feces, and starch. Adults, on the other hand, tend towards paper, glue, ice, and soap. The pica cravings are less common in pregnant women.Ĭhildren are attracted to such items as soil, paint, pencils, clay, hair, and insects. When pica develops in adults, there is usually a co-existing intellectual disability or other mental disorder involved.Īccording to Everyday Health and the National Institutes of Health, as many as 32% of children between the ages of one and six display this behavior. Infants and babies learn about the world by putting nonfood items in their mouths, but they normally outgrow the habit by two to three years of age. Pica is a rare eating disorder that may develop at any stage of life, but it tends to occur in young children, adolescents, and pregnant women. The word pica is Latin for magpie, a bird known for its willingness to eat just about anything, according to Psychology Today. A person who has experienced such food cravings may have been diagnosed with pica. However, imagine the need to eat soil, cigarette butts, and paint. ![]() One involves starvation and the other involves binge eating and purging. read more from eating dirt.Most of us are aware of such eating disorders as anorexia and bulimia. read more from eating paint chips, or a parasitic infection Overview of Parasitic Infections A parasite is an organism that lives on or inside another organism (the host) and benefits (for example, by getting nutrients) from the host at the host's expense. Children are particularly susceptible because their nervous system is still developing. read more, lead poisoning Lead Poisoning Lead poisoning affects many parts of the body, including the brain, nerves, kidneys, liver, and blood. read more, blockages in the digestive tract Intestinal Obstruction An obstruction of the intestine is a blockage that completely stops or seriously impairs the passage of food, fluid, digestive secretions, and gas through the intestines. However, sometimes what they eat causes complications, such as constipation Constipation in Adults Constipation is difficult or infrequent bowel movements, hard stool, or a feeling that the rectum is not totally empty after a bowel movement (incomplete evacuation). Usually, what people with pica eat does not harm them.
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