It tends to be more common in children, pregnant people, and those with certain conditions.
Pica is a throw in offeeding and eating disorder.
It can be serious and potentially life-threatening.
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When people have this condition, they will compulsively eat non-food items that do not have nutritional value.
While sometimes harmless, the condition can pose serious health risks including poisoning, choking, and gastrointestinal blockages.
Fortunately, treatment can help, which may include therapy, medication, and surgical interventions to remove blockages.
Although the onset of pica can occur at any age, it most commonly emerges during childhood.
Pica feels like more common among pregnant women and children with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
It often occurs along with other disorders, such asautism spectrum disorder,obsessive-compulsive disorder, andattention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Prevalence
There is limited research on pica.
It is believed to be rare among healthy children in the US.
Data show that pica is more prevalent among African and African American females who are pregnant.
The eating of dirt by African-American women may be considered a cultural practice.
It may be a learned behavior that provides social and psychological benefits.
When pica behavior is a culturally-supported practice, it would not be diagnosed as a mental disorder.
This change reflects the fact that pica can occur in adults as well as children.
These individuals are very sensitive to texture and may seek out nonnutritive substances with a preferred texture.
Pica can also occur withnonsuicidal self-harmin cases in which foreign objects are swallowed.
There are also many other non-edible substances that people may consume when they have pica.
Some of these include:
What Causes Pica?
The motivation to consume these nonfood substances varies across individuals with pica.
Risk Factors
Due to extremely limited research on pica, risk factors are not well understood.
Heavy metals such as lead, mercury (from paper), zinc, and copper can be toxic.
Pica can also lead to issues including internal parasites, poisoning, choking, respiratory problems, and death.
Treatment for Pica
There is no widely-accepted treatment for pica.
Current interventions to address pica include surgery as well as nutritional, pharmacological, and behavioral treatments.
Nutritional supplements such as iron have been used for treatment when underlying nutritional deficiencies or excesses have been identified.
Various medications have been tried although there are no conclusive studies on their use.
There are limited studies of behavioral interventions for pica.
For adults with pica,cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)may be a useful technique.
Talk to your doctor to learn more about your condition and the treatments that can help.
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