What is Pica?

Pica is an eating disorder that is sometimes also classified as a mental disorder. It causes the affected person to uncontrollably eat stuff that isn't considered food. Sibstances consumed can be hair, chalk, stones, earth, animal feces, clay and more. People with Pica often don't report their behaviour or seek help because they are embarrassed and ashamed of it.

Who can be affected

Since it is a mental disorder, everyone can get infected. Most common are children and people with mental disorders like schizophrenia or obsessive compulsive disorder.

Problems that Pica can cause

The issues that result from Pica are very different, depending on what you're eating.

Hair: Digestive issues. Hair can form blockades and get stuck.

(Animal) feces: Can contain parasites and germs that make you very ill.

Dirt or clay: Parasites.

Rocks: Can puncture or rupture internal tissue.

Chalk: Irritates the stomach and can cause vomiting.

In other cases, Pica can cause poisioning which can lead to death.

If the affected person only eats those things, it can lead to starvation (because those things don't have calories, duh).

Pica can also cause your teeth to get damaged.

Why the fuck do people eat random stuff

The exact causes of Pica aren't specified but patients often have neurodevelopment disorders.

Diagnosis

Diagnostic criteria for diagnosis of pica according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) states that the following four criteria must be met:

-persistent eating of nonnutritive, nonfood substances over a period of at least 1 month

-the eating of nonnutritive, nonfood substances is inappropriate to the developmental level of the individual

-the eating behavior is not part of a culturally supported or socially normative practice

-if the eating behavior occurs in the context of another mental disorder (e.g. intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder), autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia) or medical condition (including pregnancy), it is sufficiently severe to warrant additional clinical attention

Pics I stole from Google:

Nails??

Soil

Soil

Chalk

If you think you have this disorder, please visit your doctor.

Take care of your bodies

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