Pica is a bizarre eating disorder that is very rare. It is the eating of non nutritive objects. This is diagnosed after this behavior is present for one month or more. People who have this disorder eat all kinds of objects. Hair balls, dirt, plastic, and the list goes on.
When children are toddlers, parents are forever removing small objects from their mouths. This is a dangerous, but normal part of a toddlers experience. Once children grow older and to the appropriate age of knowing this is not something you should be doing, then it becomes a problem. If this problem persists, it could be diagnosed as Pica.
To be diagnosed with this disorder you need to have been eating the objects for at least one month. People who are diagnosed with Pica eat things such as dirt, sand, feces, hairballs, plastic items, toilet paper, and almost anything else that can be cut down in size enough to be ingested.
It is a rare disorder for adults, with the majority of Pica being seen in adults who are mentally disabled. There is one group of the population that this disorder is seen in more than other groups, young pregnant women. It is still very rare, but it is more prevalent than that of the general population. Pregnant women describe it as a craving and it becomes so intense that they act on it. It usually goes away after giving birth.
The person with the Pica diagnosis cannot help themselves from eating foreign objects. It is an obsession that causes a high rate of discomfort until the person has ingested the object of choice. Some People with Pica have reported that there is an obsession about feeling the texture of the object in their mouths.
There are many theories that try to explain the origin of Pica, but they are just theories and no one actually knows why this eating disorder surfaces. There is a high incidence of certain nutrient deficiency in the people who are diagnosed with Pica. Iron, zinc, and calcium are among some of the deficiency’s mostly found .
The dangers of Pica are, as you can imagine, the possibilities of ingesting something that is poisonous. There is a possibility of causing a bowel obstruction or perforation of the bowel. Infections and virus’s from eating something that is not sterile. Dental problems can also occur from chewing hard foreign objects.
There is no way to put a statistic on the number of people that have this eating disorder. People with Pica are not always reporting their struggle with this disorder and it goes unrecognized in many people. Stories of this bizarre eating disorder frequently make the news due to the strange things that people have ingested. Reports of people showing up at emergency rooms with the objects such as coins, small household items, and others showing up on Xrays.
Pica can be dangerous. It is recommended that behavioral therapy be used as a treatment for this eating disorder. There are some medications that will help with the obsessions or cravings. Pica is a disorder that appears to become lesser in severity over time, sometimes to extinction for the person who is diagnosed with it.
