Pica – A disorder that urges you to eat non food items

Pica is a psychological and a compulsive eating disorder. People with Pica will crave or eat items that are not food and have no nutritional value.

The most common items eaten are Clay (geophagia), ice (pagophagia), dirt, and flaking paint. Less common items include hair (trichophagia), feces (coprophagia), starches such as cornstarch and dried pasta(amylogphagia), glue, cigarette ashes, paper, soap, cloth, string, chalk, pebbles, charcoal and other items listed below.

Acuphagia (sharp objects)
Cautopyreiophagia (burnt matches)
Coniophagia (dust)
Emetophagia (vomit)
Geomelophagia (raw potatoes)
Hyalophagia (glass)
Lithophagia (stones)
Metallophagia (metal)
Mucophagia (mucus)
Pagophagia (ice)
Plumbophagia (lead)
Urophagia (urine)
Hematophagia (vampirism) (blood)
Xylophagia (wood, or derivates such as paper)

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Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, first described this Pica disorder. The term Pica originated from the word Pica, the Latin name for the bird called the Magpie, famous for its unusual eating behaviors that eat almost anything.

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  Hippocrates

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  Magpie

Pica affects people of all genders and ages. But it occurs most commonly in children and pregnant women. There is no single cause for Pica. But it is more likely to occur with people alongside pregnancy or malnourishment, especially iron deficiency. It also occurs commonly with people who have intellectual disabilities or developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD), trichotillomania (hair-pulling), and excoriation disorder (skin-picking), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. There is no single test to diagnose Pica.

To diagnose a person with Pica, they should meet the four criteria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). The four criteria are,

• The person must have persistent eating of non-nutritive, non-food substances for at least one month.
• The eating of non-nutritive, non-food substances must be inappropriate to the developmental level of the individual
• Eating behavior must not be a part of cultural practice
• It must occur with another mental disorder or a medical condition that requires extra medical attention.

Serious medical consequences are associated with Pica due to the substance consumed. Complications include choking, poisoning, parasitic infections, intestinal blockages, ulcers, mouth or teeth injury, constipation or diarrhea, and even death.

There is no widely accepted treatment for Pica, and it may vary by patient. The first-line treatment for Pica involves testing for mineral or nutrient deficiencies. If the person’s eating behaviors don’t stop even after nutritional treatment, they use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Treatment might also include antibiotics or sometimes even surgery to remove the items they consumed.

Animals such as dogs and cats can also have Pica.

There is no specific way to prevent Pica. Pica can even last for years, but it usually decreases with age. Pica is indeed a complex disorder as people may feel an urge to eat extremely harmful items. So if you or someone you know has eaten or has an urge to eat something that is not supposed to be eaten, you should seek medical help immediately.

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Credits :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pica_(disorder)
https://www.healthline.com/health/pica#outlook
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/pica
https://www.nuh.com.sg/Health-Information/Diseases-Conditions/Pages/Pica.aspx
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-pica
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/pica.html
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001538.htm
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/update-pica-prevalence-contributing-causes-and-treatment
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326751#summary
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/pica – Journal
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/914765-overview
https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/types/pica
https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/pica/
https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/mental-health/pica-eating-disorder/
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-pica-5114566
https://www.msdmanuals.com/en-sg/home/mental-health-disorders/eating-disorders/pica
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/pica
https://www.medicinenet.com/pica/definition.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532242/ – Journal

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