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Pica - Mmm that tastes good!

by Sarah Gould

magpie.jpgI was recently amazed by an article written about a girl who eats her own hair. There is a picture of the hairball in another news story, and I was FLOORED to see how large it had gotten. This prompted a little bit of research on my part, and I was pretty fascinated to read about Pica. The picture is not for those with a weak stomach. I just can’t get over it’s size! Intensity in your stomach!

Pica (also called pica disorder) is when a person has an appetite for “non-nutritive” substances (dirt, clay, paint chips, plaster, chalk, coffee grounds, ice, glue, hair, buttons, paper and even soap) or an appetite for food substances (baking soda, starch, raw potatoes, flour). If these food item cravings persist for more than one month, it may be time to be checked out. This can be dangerous for small children, as we all know, paint chips are not normal foods!

The name “pica” comes from the Latin word for magpie (as they will eat everything) and is most commonly seen in pregnant women and small children - especially those who are developmentally disabled.

Do you worry that your children (or pregnant wife) may have pica disorder? Watch for:
> repetitive consumption of nonfood items (for over a month)
> a situation where this behavior is inappropriate for your child’s developmental stage (every child puts non-food substances in their mouth, but it becomes a problem when the child is over two years old)
> a situation where the behavior is not part of a religious, cultural or ethnic practice

In a few hours, watch for another post on why researchers believe that certain people develop Pica disorder!

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Posted in Anxiety Disorders, Children on November 23rd, 2007

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3 Responses to “Pica - Mmm that tastes good!”

  1. Terra Says:
    November 23rd, 2007 at 5:44 pm

    um, ew.

    i know it’s insensitive. but,

    EW.

  2. Mental & Emotional Health » Blog Archive » Why Pica Disorder? Says:
    November 23rd, 2007 at 5:49 pm

    [...] Pica Disorder? by Sarah Gould Earlier today I posted some basics on Pica disorder that you should check out. Now I’m going to look at why researchers believe that people [...]

  3. Sarah Gould Says:
    November 23rd, 2007 at 5:50 pm

    Yes, Terra, “EW” is right.

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