However, just because small children exhibit this behavior does not necessarily suggest that the problem will persist as they grow older. He goes on to explain that the presence of an abnormal gut bacteria called dysbiosis is often connected to pica. Greenblatt points out that 30% of pica cases worldwide involve small children. This is not an unusual behavior, but if your child makes a long-term habit of this, it could suggest pica.ĭr. He explained: “Although the exact etiology has not been determined, iron deficiency is often the cause in pregnant women, and there is the thought that the body craves nutrients it is lacking.”Ĭhildren are known to put almost anything in their mouths. However, pregnant women have been recorded as having cravings for non-food items since as early as antiquity, according to Dr. It’s no secret that pregnant women often have strange cravings (for instance, suddenly wanting to eat pickles and peanut butter together). Greenblatt of Walden Behavioral Care Center in Massachusetts talked with LittleThings to break down the key facts surrounding this highly unusual condition. The National Eating Disorders Association explains that the condition is called pica, an eating disorder that involves swallowing items that don’t contain significant nutritional value.ĭr. However, there are people who suffer from a rare condition that gives them the urge to eat things that aren’t food. That being said, most of us know we should steer clear of things our body can’t digest. Sure, there are plenty of non-food items that look good enough to eat, like fancy soaps or candles. Georgia Eating Disorder Treatment Locations.Potential Causes of Binge Eating Disorder.Binge Eating Disorder Symptoms and Signs.It is not unusual to notice that younger children are frequently eating nonnutritive substances.Ĭopyright © 2023, StatPearls Publishing LLC. It is important to understand that in order to diagnose pica, the individual must be at least 2 years of age. Pica usually occurs as an isolated disorder but there are instances when it may co-exist with schizophrenia, OCD, and trichotillomania. In some parts of the world, the consumption of non-nutritive substances is culturally accepted. In women, it is most often seen during pregnancy. The nature of ingested items is variable, including but not limited to earth (geophagy), raw starches (amylophagy), ice (pagophagia), charcoal, ash, paper, chalk, cloth, baby powder, coffee grounds, and eggshells.Īlthough pica is seen in children, it is also a common eating disorder in patients who are intellectually impaired. For diagnosis, the behavior must persist for at least one month, not be in keeping with the child's developmental stage (and age cut off of 24 months or more is suggested by DSM V), and not be socially normative or culturally acceptable behavior. The term is derived from "pica-pica," the Latin word for the magpie bird, because of the bird's indiscriminate gathering and eating a variety of objects for the sake of curiosity. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) defines pica as eating nonnutritive, nonfood substances over a period of at least one month.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |