Analysis Of Psychological Disorders: Pica

“Eating disorders are a serious mental illness, not a lifestyle choice.” Millions of people have to deal with inner demons on a daily basis, some more serious than others but one that is severe, is Pica disorder. Pica disorder is an eating disorder where people have an appetite for non-nutritive, inedible materials and become addicted to eating items such as clay, nail polish, drywall, light bulbs and much more. This disorder causes victims to eat unimaginable things and causes many medical problems in the process. Some doctors believe that this disorder is just complication of the mental psyche, but there is more underlying issues that cause this disorder. Thus, Pica disorder is caused by a combination of biochemical,

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has a number of features. First of all, every disorder is identified using a name and a numerical code. In addition, the manual provides the criteria for diagnosing each disorder as well as establishes subtypes of a disorder and examples that would illustrate the disorder. The manual goes further by addressing the typical age of onset, culturally related information, gender-related information, prevalence of a disorder, typical clinical course of a disorder, typical predisposing factors of a disorder and genetic family patterns of a disease (Summers, 2009). The DSM-IV is a tool that is used by mental health practitioners and social service workers. As has been demonstrated

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder that can develop after someone has experienced or been exposed to a trauma or life threatening event, such as warfare, a natural disaster, a violent attack or sexual assault, as well as the sudden death of a loved one. Most people who experience these traumas recover from them but someone who continues to experience anxiety and depression may have developed post-traumatic stress disorder.

Pica is a disorder in which you have an appetite or weird craving for things that have no nutritional value. There is no age limit for the disease; anyone can have Pica at any point in time. Pica can be associated with mental and stress related disorders. Stress factors such as family issues, pregnancy,

Pica is, for the most part, defined as the desire to consume non-nutritive substances. However, it can also cover an abnormal appetite for food ingredients and

      Another disorder alluded to in the story is pica. Pica is generally defined as "a pathological craving for normal food constituents or for substances not commonly regarded as food" (Danford 303). It is said to be the most frequently observed eating dysfunction of mentally handicapped persons, particularly long-term schizophrenics or those with marked personality disorders (Decker 551 - 552). While no specific reference to the heroine actually eating non-foods exists in the story, references to missing

Pica is an eating disorders were people are persistently eating substances that have no nutritional value (Krucik, 2015). Someone diagnosed with pica, could eat a variety of things. Some of the most common things include dirt, paint, metal, drywall, soap, buttons, clay, hair, sand, cigarette butts, glue, chalk, feces and ice. In the case of ice, no really damage is done to the body. Other materials such as metal, drywall, and paint could lead to really serious consequences such as lead poisoning in the case of metal.

Pica disorder is defined as the persistent ingestion of substances that are non-nutritive. The name for this harmful disorder comes from a latin word meaning “magpie,” which implies that the people with this disorder will eat anything, even when there is no nutritional value. This disorder is qualified as an eating disorder as well as a mental health disorder, making it very interesting to research in medical laboratories. Often occurring in young kids, pica disorder can lead to devastating results including death. This disorder has doubled in hospital stays from 1999-2009, which makes it a disorder to watch out for in the hospital because of the little knowledge people know about this disease (Brynie 2011).

Pica is the persistent eating of substances with no nutritional value such as wood, hair, ice, dried paint flakes, plastics or wires. (Cynthia R. Ellis, MD April 2016) Pica is most common in people with developmental disabilities like autism, people with intellectual disabilities and in children between the ages of 2 and 3. It can also affect women during pregnancy. (Mary L. Gavin, MD April

People tend to have cravings every once in a while. Those that have been pregnant before may have a better understanding of this. Sometimes, these cravings can be a sign of something wrong internally. Did you know that craving items that are not food is a disorder? Many do not. The name of this craving disorder is called Pica.(Lackey, Carolyn J, 2013) Pica got its name from the Latin language. In Latin, Pica means magpie. Magpie is a bird that eats literally everything. Pica is a pattern of eating nonfood items.(Barkoukis, 2008). This pattern must go on for more than a month for it to become a disorder. In a month’s span, one could ingest many different items of non food. (Just think about how much you will eat on just a daily basis, and imagine the amount of nonfood items people eat!) Some of these nonfood items those with this disorder may consume are: dirt, animal feces, cigarette butts, matches, clay, paint, ice, sand, and even hairballs. (Barkoukis, 2008).

Pica is an eating disorder that is defined as the constant eating of non-food, non-nutritional items like dirt, cloth, and paper. There is no one cause of pica. However, people with mental disabilities are a large percentage of people who suffer from this eating disorder. Tooth damage and bowel obstruction are symptoms of pica. To get a diagnosis, blood tests are done to check iron levels.

Pica is the craving or ingestion of nonfood items, that is found equally in both males and females. There many different types of people the suffer from this disorder and some such as women that are going through a pregnancy, or people that also have some type of nutritional deficiency, mental retardation, brain damage, and in a majority of these cases it’s found in young children. The name Pica come from the latin word for Magpie which a species of bird that feeds on almost everything it encounters.

Eating disorders are a serious mental illness, not a choice or lifestyle preference. Everyone has their daily battles and life struggles, some more distressing than others and some severe, like Pica disorder. Pica is an eating disorder when people have an abnormal appetite and consume nonnutritive substances including dirt, stones, hair, feces, lead, light bulbs, and much more. Because individuals suffering with Pica are driven to eat unconceivable things, this disorder commonly leads to many medical issues. Many doctors believe Pica to be a derivative of some mental ailment but there are other factors that can lead to this disorder. Thus, Pica disorder is caused by a combination of psychological, environmental, and biochemical factors.

What exactly are pica and rumination disorder? Pica is the act of eating items that are non-nutritive, in other words they have little to no nutritional value to the human body. Things that could be eaten include glass, couch cushions, chalk, glue, just about anything that normally would not be considered to be taken into the body. This can happen because of trying to avoid high calorie items foods and the desire for weight loss. Rumination disorder is when someone(typically children) have swallowed food and spit it back up and begin chewing it again. This behavior does not happen because of medical reasons either.

For those of us without the urge to eat inedible items, it may be unfathomable to understand what could possibly drive someone to consume such things. The term that defines this unusual activity is known as Pica. The word Pica originates in the Latin word for magpie – a bird that is famed for its unusual eating behaviors, where it is known to eat almost anything. However, it is typically defined as an eating disorder which involves the persistent ingestion of nonnutritive substances. Causes may be, but not limited to, mineral deficiencies, mental illness/ disorders/ disabilities, stress, anxiety, depression, cultural practices, in poor areas, or simply enjoying the taste or texture of the items they consume. There is not an exact number or percentage of people who have this disorder because a lot goes undiagnosed due to embarrassment, denial, or even overlooked by doctors and/or dentists.