[Originally Published in WOMEN MAKE WAVES]
Suzy eats handfuls of dirt as many as 10 times per day. Alice chews and swallows up to 6 packets of chalk while awake. Martha breaks glass into tiny pieces and ingests those.
Commonly affecting women and children, PICA is the consumption of materials that have no nutritional value. Having an appetite for paper, clay, or sand for examples, is thought to be either due to a particular mineral deficiency, or, more often, associated with psychological struggles. Pica may lead to intoxication in children as well as delays in both intellectual and maturational development. In adults, Pica is seen to cause gastrointestinal obstructions, nutritional deficiencies, internal parasites, or toxicity issues. [Also seen in animals such as dogs, the word ‘Pica’ is derived from the Latin term for ‘magpie.’ This bird is known to eat almost anything. In 1563, Pica was first labeled as a disorder in medical journals written by Greek and Roman researchers.]
Mental illnesses such as psychosis and profound anxiety are thought to be the prevailing causes of this disorder. Dysfunctional family life, neglect from parents, poverty, pregnancy and a history of an absent or uncaring mother are some of the stressors that can lead to Pica. The latest findings suggest that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (O.C.D.) may possibly be associated with this syndrome as well.
According to DSM-IV, (a current diagnostic medical/psychiatric manual) one may have Pica if items are ingested for 1 month or more, there isn’t a cultural factor that dictates eating these materials and the amount of objects eaten is inappropriate. Subtypes of Pica are plentiful. People have been known to eat wool or hair (Trichophagia) or rocks and pebbles, (Lithophagia.) Any non-nutritional material that one can imagine has been linked to Pica.
ABC NEWS reports, -Adele Edwards has an unusual eating disorder: She consumes couches like they were candy, going through seven sofas in the last 21 years. The Bradenton, Fla., mother-of-five has a condition called pica, which more often affects young children and pregnant mothers. Her non-food item of choice is the foam inside the cushions. "I unzip the cushions and snack on the foam inside," Edwards. 31, told Britain's Daily Mail Newspaper. "And once I start I just can't stop. But now doctors have told me that if I carry on, my addiction will kill me." Edwards said she chomps down a throw pillow each week -- reaching for the foam about 15 times a day.-
Pica can be a cultural practice, not associated with a psychological illness. In the state of Georgia in the United States of America, there is a cultural component with African-American women who eat kaolin (white clay.) Many areas of Africa see this ingestion of kaolin due to the clay’s ability to absorb toxins in plants and tannic acid.
Treatment for those struggling with Pica is controversial. Some experts recommend teaching a client to verbalize their anxiety, or they may use positive reinforcement to guide patients to abort this habit. Analysis as to why one is engaging in such a maladaptive behavior and/or medication can also be affective. Most people with Pica are reluctant to share their disorder with family, friends or medical personnel. Consequently, it is difficult to state how often Pica occurs in humans. Many studies have been done and there is a vast gap in those experiencing abnormal cravings and ingestion of non-nutritional items. Between 8% and 65% are found, depending on the particular study.
The website, ‘I Have Pica Syndrome,’ shares these stories as written, verbatim; “okay, I've never told anyone about this and I'm only 15 for a few years I've had an excessive habit of eating graphite, rocks, baby power, sand and charcoal. I literally break apart pencils to eat the graphite, its a bad habit and my family notices all the shredded pencils. I don't know why, just has this taste that's I can't get enough of... can any of your share your experiences with me so I don't feel alone on this?” And,“I love to drink whiteout. I love the feeling I get one I drink it. I don't smell them, I just drink it. I used to just start with one but now I just drink two bottles when I can. If I'm not drinking it, I'm leaving out in the open to dry, so I can chew it when it's dried out. I don't do this on a daily basis only when I can get some and that's occasionally.”
While hospitalizations for eating disorders are down overall, one category is rising at an alarming rate, says the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. From 1999 to 2009, hospitalizations for patients with an eating disorder called pica jumped a whopping 93 percent. - Faith Brynie (Brain Sense)
[Sources; Pica: MedicinePlus Medical Encyclopedia/ Pica (Eating Disorder): Treatments, Causes, Symptoms/ Pica-Medscape Reference/ Wikipedia]