Mental & Emotional Health

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 develop pica disorder.

When looking at why people develop pica disorder, there are quite a few different things that researchers keep in mind.

There may be:
> nutritional deficiencies - you may be lacking zinc or iron. This lack may trigger a specific craving, but even when you’re eating those non-food items, you’re not feeding your body the nutrients that you need. (If you need zinc, eat oysters, red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals and some dairy products. If you need iron, look for clams, pork/chicken or beef liver, oysters or mussels.)

> severe dieting - by eating non-food substances, you may be easing your hunger with this feeling of fullness. However, these non-food substances could doing more harm than good!

> malnutrition - those in underdeveloped countries have been known to commonly eat soil & clay in order to feel full

> parental neglect - children who don’t have parental (or other adult supervision/attention) may develop pica to feed themselves, or to attract attention to themselves; this is most often seen in children living in low socioeconomic statuses

> developmental problems - mental retardation, autism, brain abnormalities and other developmental disabilities may lead children (and adults) to eat non-food substances

> mental health conditions - such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (the girl who ate her hair was later diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder) or schizophrenia (there have been reported cases where voices tell people to eat non-food items)

> pregnancy - the most commonly eaten non-food item during pregnancy is ice chips, and women who exhibit pica disorder symptoms while pregnant may have had symptoms beforehand

So, pica disorder is something to watch for and be aware of, as you might end up in the hospital having 15 inches of hair removed from your stomach! If you have cravings for non-food items, please contact your physician and let them know. Let them know that you have been reading about pica disorder and are interested in talking with them more about it!

mental and emotional health, pica, pica disorder, why pica