Pica Eating Disorder & Treatment

Pica (PIE-kah) is a common eating disorder that involves the compulsive eating of objects or foods in non-nutritional quantities. It is most common among young children, children with developmental or mental disorders, pregnant women, and people dealing with some gastrointestinal infections. Pica is marked by the compulsive consumption of non-nutritive substances such as clay, metal, dirt, paper, coal, soap or gum, or by the consumption of largely non-nutritional foods in mass quantities, like flour, salt, ice cubes, or raw starches. In order to diagnose pica as an eating disorder, the patient must have exhibited symptoms consistently for at least one month and must be old enough to rule out the possibility of developmental immaturity, meaning that children who eat odd substances may have just not learned the proper behavior yet and don’t have pica.

The research surrounding pica is limited, but this eating disorder is believed to be caused largely by a mineral or nutrient deficiency, most commonly iron. Pica is very common among pregnant women who develop anemia (an iron deficiency) and among patients who have just undergone surgery, as the loss of blood causes lower iron levels. Pica is also common in patients with other nutrient deficiencies, such as people with celiac disease and people hosting hookworms or roundworms who may be consuming most of their nutrients, resulting in pica as a sort of nutritional coping mechanism. Pica has also been identified as a possible coping mechanism of the mental variety in people suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, or even severe stress.

Pica is an eating disorder that has the potential to cause serious damage in a short period of time. An eating disorder that is commonly known, such as bulimia or anorexia, is likely to cause serious harm over a period of time. Pica, on the other hand, can kill a child instantly if they ingest something destructive to their gastrointestinal tract, like a sharp blade ingested by a child with metal-eating tendencies. This could cause life-threatening internal bleeding. People with pica very commonly suffer from severe digestive problems that often result in serious and dangerous constipation.

Pica treatment is still being studied and no one solution for pica has been discovered. In people suffering from pica as a result of mental or developmental disorders, the use of SSRIs (generally a type of anti-depressant) has been largely successful. Another pica treatment is to solve the potential nutrient deficiency, demonstrated by women who suffer while pregnant and whose symptoms subside after giving birth, or by someone releasing a hookworm or roundworm and suddenly returning to healthy eating habits. The most common and most successful pica treatment is behavioral therapy, typically demonstrated in children as learning negative associations with eating things that aren’t food and positive associations with healthy eating habits. In order to treat this common but mind-boggling disorder, each patient has to be individually assessed for his or her needs and possible causes.