Eating Everything but Food is called Pica.
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Why is it called pica?
PICA comes from the Latin word that means magpie, whch is a bird that is known for a big appetite to eat anything and everything.
Here's what kids sometimes eat of they have or show signs of pica:
- dirt / clay / mud
- Play Doh
- paint chips
- plaster
- chalk
- cornstarch
- baking soda
- coffee grounds
- cigarette ashes
- burnt match heads
- cigarette butts
- feces
- ice
- glue / white paste
- hair
- buttons
- paper / cardboard
- sand
- toothpaste
- soap
Pica is caused by...
The act or habit of eating things that are not food is called pica in medical and psychological textbooks. For children, who learn about the world by putting things into their mouths, pica is really fairly common. I remember kids in elementary school eating pencils and erasers... and a few crayons. Some of the children were bored and some did not realize they were chewing on nonfood items, because they were thinking hard about a test question or a math problem. There were a lot of pencils with teeth marks on them elementary school. I see them in libraries and college classrooms on occasion even today and they make me laugh.
Unfortunately, some children do not have breakfast at home and they eat paper and other items just because they are hungry and need to survive. Hopefully, subsidized school and summer breakfast and lunch programs are reaching most of them and they are receiving at least one or two meals a day. This has helped a lot in the last 20 years. One other serious thing to consider is that pica can indicate Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCS), but only a licensed doctor therapist can determine that.
Developmentally, babies - more than elementary school kids - have a period of growth in which they put just about everything they find into their mouths, even their own feet. They usually go on to something more exciting that catches their attention and forget what they had in their mouths. When a child that has passed this developmental point and is older, but who suddenly begins to eat nonfood items once again, there may be a problem of some kind. In this case, there is likely some cause for it that can be found and eliminated, however.
Fortunately, two very likely causes can be examined through a simple blood test. The first is easy to cure and if either one of them is found to be at fault, steps can be taken to correct the problems. The first of the causes is low iron in the blood (anemia) and the second cause is a high blood level of lead.
Lead exposure is a problem for many children that live or visit for extended periods of time in older houses that have lead-based paint in them. These were built mainly before the 1970s and lead paint was outlawed in 1978). However, other sources of lead include certain types of medications, some kinds of pottery, and several others. The blood test for lead and anemia will help you narrow down the cause of eating paper and plastic and such.
There are other possibilities for the manifestation of pica in children. Some kids develop pica as a symptom of emotional distress. Some others experience developmental disorders that lead to longer periods of time eating nonfood items, or to returning to the behavior. Many of these problems would most likely not manifest only as pica, however. Other behaviors and symptoms would likely begin to appear.
Some of these unwanted behaviors accompanying pica can includes syndromes of such things as abnormal language, strange methods of play not used before, and strange relationships with friends of the child's own age (peer group). Look for these things to occur and call your pediatrician or family doctor (general practitioner or internist) and discuss them with him or her. The child may also pull out his or her own hair and eyelashes, and that is another syndrome. If this happens, call the doctor right away.
Also keep a diary or a daily log of the times when your child chews on paper and other nonfood items and when he/she does not. Make a note of what happened just before the behavior occurred and how soon it is after a meal or before the next meal. Write down anything that you think is important about each particular instance of pica behavior. The log or dairy would be helpful to your doctor. Like so many things, if you start writing things down, you begin seeing patterns.
Think about and ask your child also about any new or recurring stresses in his life -- a new baby at home, changing schools, new job for a parent, a bully at school, etc. remember that every time you move before the child is 5 years old will make him/her regress immaturity a bit for a while, but this will remedy it self usually. An example of this is bedwetting that begins with a move and ends when the child is more steeled in a routine.
If you suspect emotional or developmental problems talk with the doctor ASAP. If everything seems fine and the blood tests are normal, ask your doctor if it is just a habit. If so, then try to keep paper and other nonfood items away from him if he is very young.
What do I do about pica?
Treatment may not even be required, but talk to your doctor to be sure.
Pica treatment can involve several kinds of licensed professionals, depending on the reasons for the disorder and the various symptoms and related sundromes. A medical doctor must first look for for physical problems causing the pica and also caused BY it. It is vital that a medical doctor be first to enter the case.
If there are socioeconomic matters involved, a social worker will become involved to provide education and guidance to remedy underlying problems such as poverty and the probalems that are associated with it. If psychological conditions are present, a licensed therapist or psychiatrist will become involved.
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Comments
Very informative Patty. I remember learning about the oral, anal and phallic stages but I'd never heard of pica before.
Good luck, Jimmy. 8 years and dangerous things sounds like you need better assistance than a laughing dismissive GP.
I agree, shop around until you find a doctor that takes you seriously. When I earned a master's in preventive medicine, I used to joke that I got that degree to "prevent doctors." LOL. But 8 years is a long time to have such a syndrome. AND people often say "it's just a phase" when they don't want to be bothered with it; "phase" = excuse, or cop out, for them.
Very informational hub! I have written one with my personal experience with pica.
<a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Pica----The-Eating-Disorde it is.</a>
I don;t think I've heard of eating soap before. The aromas of bath and cleaning products certainly encourages it, in my opinion. In the first grade, many of the kids chewed on erasers, but I think it was more of that put-everything-in-your-mouth kind of thing left over from infanthood. Thanks for posting.
I've never heard of this.
Did you hear about how in Haiti people are eating dirt cakes?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22902512/
But that is due to starvation, it's not exactly "by choice"...unless they develop a taste for it and then future generations call it a "delicacy"...lol.
Very interesting hub!
Yes, people eat mud in several places around the world.
In the Ice Age winters, wooly mammoths sometimes susbsisted on mud they dug up from frozen lakes and rivers where the upstream water froze solid and nothing flowed down to their grazing grounds. Some migrated somewhat southward, but not the majority.
I look after a severely autistic 5yo girl who i am sure has pica. She has a severly self limited diet and no amount of encouragement can increase it. She will eat anything she can put into her mouth that is nonfood and licks and mouths everything. Concrete, trees, tiles etc. I would love any practical advice to get her to stop and maybe start eating some real food.
The National Autiosm Center states that 30% of all young children eat non-food items, but children with autism can exhibit this behavior as a function of their condition.
The child's parents/physicians should be giving you instructions. If she is in your foster care, the foster agency should be giving you training and instructions. CALL your local or nearest children's hospital and ask for help - they have hotlines. Your alternative is to call a local pediatrician and ask advice - you may need to make an appointment and go on.
Link:
http://www.nationalautismcenter.org/learning/pica.
All the best.
It just occured to me how odd it is that "pica" is a name of three different things - 1) this eating disorder, 2) a size of type on a typewriter, and 3) a rodent-like animal (actually "pika").
I feel that some pica(eating soap) may enable the vitamin C synthesis process in humans.Many of the spices( Cinnamon included) seem to do this.Remember that all of our vitamin C enablers are intact,except for one enzyme .To me this does not seem to be a farfetched idea.Thanks,Van
You may have something there, Van. Many of today's soaps smell like food anyway.
I had what is called pica when I was a child. I craved dirt. Black dirt. I made mud pies and I ate them. Nobody noticed this until I passed an earthworm, which amazingly, can survive the human digestion process. I was taken to the doctor along with the worm to identify what my problem was. I was 3 years old and had been eating dirt for a long time. The doctor explained that it was a vitamin deficiency and that by supplimenting my meals with vitamins the problem would eventually disappear. The vitamins were full of IRON. The taste of Iron was delicious to me and I gave up dirt...But, then I would sneak into the icebox when no one was looking and drink the bottle of vitamins. I did this until my parents realized what I was doing and drug me off to the doctor again. The doctor explained to me very urgently that too many vitamins would poison me and I could die. So, I craved the iron and I could always imagine the taste in my mind, I compensated by scratching the bumps in the wall paint and eating those (1950s). Yeah, lots of lead.
First grade, 7 years old, I discovered glue. I ate elmers glue, and I dearly loved the taste of that orangy, gold liquid glue with the stopper top. I also loved the feel and taste of coins. I must have eaten $100.00 worth of coins before I was made to stop putting coins in my mouth...they noticed that all the change was disappearing. In those days, people would break a thermometer and play with the mercury. They showed us kids how to make shiney quarters by rubbing it on the coin. I ate all the coins I could secretly put in my mouth. Lets see....I was one of those kids who refused to give up the bottle until I was about 5 years old.
All of these things point to vitamin deficiency, emotional issues, and a resulting oral fixation that endures to this day. I did not suck my thumb or fingers. Some things were caught by my parents and some were not...surprisingly, I was not punished for eating these things and when the time was taken to explain to me WHY it was not good for me to do these things, I stopped that particular behavior. They never caught the paint or glue..paste..a thick white paste, yep. I ate it by the jar! I eventually grew out of those things, but at 17 years old, I was still sneaking into the fridge and sipping the bottle of Iron Vitamins, but I was careful not to drink so much as to tip off the folks. And Paragoric was a craving so strong in me that I would pretend to have a stomach ache just to sniff the bottle. LOL..grew out of that one too. Had the Asiatic flu and it was my first taste of paragaric...double reason for drinking that stuff...taste delicious and made the most horrible pain ever experienced before or since go away.
Jimmy, I am no doctor and I only speak from my own personal experience of having a PICA. Some of the reason is tactile and taste. A mode of learning that I used to find out about the world. Some of this behavior is from extreme trauma, some is from lack of attention and a certain TYPE of neglect and childhood mis-understanding of what was going on in the minds of the people around me. I lived in what I call "Warrior Mode", now. Survival Mode at all times. Now, I remember what the world was like from a childs point of view.....You could start by explaining to the kid just like he is an adult that understands your words. When that approach was used on me...I responded well. People have the mistaken idea that just because a kid is young, they cannot understand certain concepts about their own wellbeing. Not true. If your child shows signs of being highly intelligent and still does the eating of weird stuff, he could possibly be experiencing frustration intellectually while being emotionally unable to cope with his reality at present. Take him to a doctor or specialist for behavior..and by all means have your kid tested. And if he is really smart, you haven't got a clue what else he is successfully hiding from you that he eats.
Sorry about the length of this comment, but I thought it might help you to decide and be able to get a fresh perspective.....do YOU remember YOUR childhood? As you were, so this child will follow in his own way...but the emotional and intellectual quality should be connected enough for you to look at his situation with fresher eyes. Good luck!
And remember, I AM NOT A DOCTOR. And I am not advising you on an illness. I am telling you of my experience with Pica and what I now know about my, then, behavior.
Karen LaVelle =o)
Thanks for the expereince you ahve shared KV; it is sure to help someone else.
Soap eaters are probably lacking suponins.I understand we can produce our own if our diet has sufficient certain elements.Thus the craving for soap to fill a gap in our biochemical ecosystem.Thanks,Van ( ps some plants contain suponins such as asparagus and yucca root)
That's something I did not know, Van - thanks for telling us about it. It makes sense.
Sorry I mispelled saponins.Saponins is the corrct spelling.Thanks,Van
Thanks Van!
another nice artricle from a expert
Hii,, i've bin eatin paper for as long as i can remember, and i am now 18..must of started at like 3/4!! it started of by eatin toilet paper, then yellow pages and nw argos paper =O...i try to stop but cant i jus fink abowt the smell and taste. Only recentli i went to the dcotors after sufferin abdominal pain =''[ this made me really want to stop. The doctors referred me to some man that works with ppl hu suffer addictions..i have not yet attendin the appointment. I am so nuervous!!! Any advice??
That sounds kind of scary to see the doctor, but if this is a good practitioner with experience, they can find out if it is caused by 1) diet, 2) chemical imbalance/lack or something similar like a specific protein involvement, 3) genetic, 4) habit, or one of a lot of other causes.
If you crave the smell and taste, it could be a lack of something in your body, or an addition. There is good help for either one. Go with the appointment and tell the practitioner you are nervous. Make him/her explain everything clearly, including how long it will take to recover from this, whether you will suffer withdrawal, alternative treatments, what his/her exact plan and timeline is, etc. demand to know.
Let us know how it comes out. Best wishes!
ok i will, i have only found out all this 'pica' stuff today
and thank u so much
:)
Best of success to you. I hope it turns out to be something really simple and easily moderated.
HI! i have been eating foam from mattresses for 35 yrs.it started in elem.don't
remeber how old i was.the reason for eating foam i was molested in elem.by
my mothers long life friend oldest son,he threatned me and ididn't say a word
why you probably ask,my mother was always beating on me or my sister when she was mad at my dad.sometimes i would tell the truth and still get a beating
at first i didn't know why i did it until middle school,then the habit got worse.
i didn't communicate with people much gosh i had no friends ,i couldn't wait
to get home ,i would have an urge,then use a blade or scissors and cut into
my mom and dads mattress i would tear off as much foam as i could while,
every one was busy playing outside or/and watching television. i take it
wash and scrub with hot and coldwater ,then dry it and eat it would me that
night after a bad day at school.my dad noticed that the bed or couch would
be torn,but i would dumb.so many people torchered me at school and at
home,my comfort and friend was foam,just me and foam.my mom caught me
chewing on it and beat me she didn't understand she told my dad he didn't
know how to talk too me or my sisters he didn't know how to love us,he
didn't show any emotion towards his kids or my mom.she told me that i
was retarded and was going to take me to see a physc, she should have,i'd
would have been adopted.
And you ccould even have a nurtritional decifiency reinforcing the behavior of foam eating, so I suggest seeing a physician - even a free clinic would help if you can't afford it. Peace and all the best to you.
hi...again i didn't go to that appointment with the 'addiction man'. i personally just think that i'm just low on blood, as i was diagnosed being anemic (if thats how u spell it :s) a few years ago..i did actually stop eating argos paper for a good few weeks but then turned to toilet paper. I thought that toilet paper would be more un healthy so now im back on the paper =| now my joints are begining to hurt, well just 1 ankle and 1 wrist!
If i ever stop i shall let you and other pica sufferers know.
Interesting. Sometimes herbal teas will clear up the joint pain - usually a few glasses of iced tea. Hope you feel much better!
I am 35 and i have been eating cigarette ashes since i was around maybe 8years old. It began as like here and there nothing major. Maybe once a month i would just put my finger in the ash tray and take a couple licks. Then around Jan of 2009 i was pregnant and started doing it once a month. Then toward May almost end of pregnancy i would do a little daily. Now my son is 9 months old and i eat ashes everyday all day. I smoke my cigarette then i eat the entire ashes that i got from the cigarette as well as from anyone else who has smoked a cigarette. I seem to eat the ashes nonstop all day long. It is becoming a issue. I am constantly washing the ashtrays because in my mind i cant eat it out of a dirty ashtray, yet the ashes itself is dirty. Can anyone advise as to why i do this or what i can do to stop it. If we have company over i try to rush them out the door so i can go to every ashtray and eat the ashes. My older daughter who is 15 tells me daily how gross it is and to stop, but i just dont know how. I will smoke a cigarette just to get the ashes. Sometimes 3 in a row and not even inhale the cigarette i just want the ashes from it. Please help me figure out why i do this and if its going to be harmful to me with such a large intake of it. Thank you.
See if your local hospital has a Nurse Hotline so you can call anonymously and ask about it (free, no charge). Aside from that, I'd guess a mineral deficiency based in calcium and other losses that occurs through pregnancy and many other causes (diet, disease, trauma, stress, etc.), but I'm not a physician. Best of success as you battle this!
My almost 4 year old daughter has been eating paper, card board, toilet paper, plastic and her finger nails. When she was 2 going on 3 I talked to her ped. about it and she said it was normal, she would grow out of it. She did a iron test and it came back normal. I am now very concerned because she has not stopped and now she sneaks it. I will catch her and she will lie about it. I ask her why she does it and she can't say why. I have been reading about Pica on the internet and it sounds like she might have it. Now if my daughter's doc brushes me off I will persue it further. Where would I go to next? Can anyone give me advice?
A four-year-old cannot explain the why of the behavior, especially if it is a chemical imbalance or mineral deficit, can she? I would stop confronting her, as stress can worsen it.
1) See another doctor as a second opinion. Don't use no insurance as an excuse - there are free clinics.
2) Go in to one of the Little Clinics in the grocery stores or Drug Store (like CVS) and ask the Nurse Practitioner on duty about it.
3) Call your local hospital's free Nurse's Hotline.
4) If you use a daycare, ask the Nutritionist on duty there.
Best wishes!
With our mineral depleted farmlands my guess is that these eating habits may show trace element and mineral lack.On the internet google:saving the planet with gravel dust.It is a real eyeopener.Thanks,Van
Ok I have 2 step kids, my step daughter used to food steal we explained to her that if she was hungary that we would get her something to eat it went fine for a while and than she started to eat books its didnt matter what kind it was book and paper what ever she could get her hands on, and at the time her lil brother (about 1 yr younger) started doing the same, we finaly got her to stop eating things, but now he is just getting worse, he at a full box of crayons, he woke up inthe middle of the night and ate them box and all i found only parts of them in the room, he eats spoap when he is in the bath, he has taken a bite out of a sponge as well as a pumic sponge, i have caught him with dirt, everything we try does not work with him. he is a very slow eater for meals he is the first at the table and last to leave, hardly asking for more tells us when he is full. but i just dont know what to do anymore when it comes to the non food things he is every fast and sneeky about it. and i dont know how to get him to stop. what should i do?
I have heard of hostages surviving on the pages of books and the paste that held them together, but it was library paste made of flour and water (so that's foodstuffs and paper is often organic).
The crayons are a problem, because I think the wax buildup might cause a bowel bloackge in future, although I am not 100% certain (but the coloring is likely non-toxic). You may need to go to the emergency room and have this seen to if it happens again. But I recommend seeing your family phsycian or going to a free climic ASAP and asking for help. Meanwhile, please put all non-food items your son might eat up out of reach or locked away. Ask your doctor if it is possible that he was copying sister and got carried away with it.
Happy Easter!
Becky:
I have same obsession.
Started when I was a kid. Everyone smoked and at age of 3 or 4 I would lick ashtrays.
Then 6 weeks ago at age 62 I got obsession to do again. STRESS I think. Anyhow I'm hooked. I don't care what anyone say's. IT TASTES GREAT. Don't know what to do. Started takin iron suppliments. Hope it works. Again though. Hooked,IT TASTES GREAT.
An American Indian remedy for arthritis is eating sunflower seeds.Lately some are saying that sunflower seed oil is a sure cure for arthritis.Try this remedy and possibly this might help your pica"disorder".Thanks,Van
My son is 35mo old and we have discovered over the last few months that he is eating the paint/plaster off the walls in his room. He has always been very oral. Always something in his mouth and he's very juicy in the mouth. Help I'm about to pull out my hair. He seems to be doing this when he is sent to bed. Or time outs. And the last time which was today was after lunch.
Sunflower seeds taste good, too.
Ramona - see your doctor immediately with your 3-year-old.
Thanks patty, I plan to make the appoinment on monday. Do you have any thoughts on why and do you think that it's pica?
Some lead-based paints taste sweet. that's my first thought.
My daughter is 3 years old, and she has been eating strings, pieces of the couch, and fuzzies off of everything since she was about 10 months old. At that age, it's said that it is expected, but not normal, for a child to develop such a habit. She's eaten crayons, play dough, and hair. I'm very concerned, because in your initial examples you said that if your child has an emotional disorder, another distinguishing sign would be pulling at the hair and eyelashes. She does pull on her eyebrows and eyelashes while she's sleepy, and wanting to go to bed. I set her up an appointment to go see a development specialist tomorrow, but I'm worried that he will also tell me that this is just a phase and that she'll grow out of it. I have had her tested for Iron and Lead, and both are at a normal level. She's been wetting her bed a lot more recently than she has before. Does that sound to you like she has O.C.D. or an emotional issue?
i have been eating fag papers for 12 months, i am full of fear i might get ill what can happen to me if i carry on, i am 52years old and am to ashamed to tell my doctor. please help. many thanks jen
Tricia - You're in a frustrating situation and I hope the developnmental specialist can help you straightforwardly. Psychological-sounding symptoms can be caused by physical conditions, so let's wait for the specialist to comment. Be sure to tell him/her abut the increased bed wetting. That could be very important.
jen - Call up one of the free hospital nurse's hotlines that you can call for initial medical opinions and advice.
i have been eatg about 7lbs of ice a day for about 6months now,i love it i eat it all day no matter what i am doing,its crazy to me but i cant help it,i also love the way baby powder taste and smells,i will literally eat it and then rub it all over my face and smell it until i have inhaled so much,the smell of dirt to me aswell is sooo good,i have not ate it but i am tempted,is this a sign that i may have pica,i am 28yrs old,i barley eat food all i want is ice,ice and more ice.please give me some input to my crazy habits!!
Rechelle - ask you doctor; the ice craving may or may not be a symptom of something besides pica. But, watch your teeth - crunching ice can cause hairline fractures in them.
I have been eating mortar from between bricks since my early teens. I link it to anaemia as i seem to crave it less when i am on irom tablets. Unfortunately i have damaged my teeth more than I had realised-i went to the dentist today and she noticed the wear and assumed I was grinding my teeth at night....and fitted me for a night guard. I find it really embarrasing and it is a real compulsion. I am glad to know that I am not alone though. Apart from my teeth, I haven't had any noticable problems as a result.
Rachelle,Ice eating is a sign of zinc deficiency.It could also point to other minerals being lacking in your body also.I read this in an old Prevention magazine.I hope this helps,Van
jimmythejock says:
2 years ago
Thanks Patty very informative i will seek further advice even though our GP laughed and said it was only a phase and nothing to worry about. this phase has lasted about 8 years now and it is getting dangerous I caught him with a battery in his mouth yesterday, thanks again .....jimmy