Pica Essay

“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,

Critically reflect on the positives and/or negatives of ethnic residential concentration as perceptible within specific landscapes in Sydney.

Eating disorder is the abnormal eating behavior that would negatively impact one’s health, emotions and ability to function in important areas of life. Eating disorders include several categories: binge eating disorder, which means people eat large amount in a short period, anorexia nervosa which people eat very little, bulimia nervosa which people eat a lot and then try to rid themselves of food, pica which people eat non-food items, rumination disorder means people regurgitate food, avoidant food intake means that people have a lack of interest in food, and other specified eating disorders (ANAD). There is believed to be no single cause for eating disorders, as all the biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors contribute to this illness. Studies have shown that specific chromosomes may be associated with bulimia and anorexia (NY times). Eating disorders may also be caused by imbalance of serotonin and dopamine which explain why people who have anorexia

This research paper will evaluate the biological aspects of addictive substance or behavior and how it affects the brain and organs. Biological aspects include dopamine levels that are replaced in the brain due to the reward system being overtaken and the absorption rate of the drug once it is ingested will be discussed. The biological aspects are extensive and permanent if the individual does not get the help they need. Furthermore the clinical issues of addictive substance or behavior will be discussed along with medical treatments and ethical issues. This includes treatments such as counseling

Addiction can be a challenging brain disease; individuals afflicted by addiction experience an uncontrollable urge to use a substance or perform a behavior, regardless of the consequences (text). Nearly 23 million Americans suffer with addiction, not including those who are addicted to tobacco (text). The excessive use of these substances or continuous acts of behavior leads to immediate activation of the brain’s central reward system, which results in feelings of euphoria (text), and consequently leads to compulsion for the substance or behavior (text). There are two categories of addiction, substance addiction and process addictions. Someone with a substance addiction might be an alcoholic or a drug user, while someone with a process addiction might shop compulsively, gamble excessively, or have uncontrollable sexual urges.

Despite being the weirdest eating disorder it is very common in little kids. Pica makes others want to eat non-food substance things such as paper, glue, dirt, clay, etc… Pica can be very dangerous and cause lead poisoning and iron-deficiency. The following information will inform people about what pica is, signs of it, why people eat non-food substances,and finally the treatment.

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

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter known to be involved in regulating mood and behaviour, amongst other things. Schizophrenia is associated with an overactivity of dopamine in the brain, and this may be associated with the delusions and hallucinations that are a feature of this disease.

Is addiction a brain disease? The definition of disease is a disorder in an organism that produces specific signs/symptoms that affects a specific location and isn’t a direct result of any kind of physical injury. Addiction is a compulsive need for any substance or service that can cause a person or organism to form a habit, and is a chronic disease of brain reward and causes dysfunctions in the circuits. Addiction is also characterized by the inability to consistently abstain impairment in behavioral control. The idea that addiction is a brain disease is just about universally accepted among scientist that focus on addiction (Corrigan,2008). However few believe that addiction is not a brain disease because they claim that neural dysfunction is not sufficient for disease. (NCBI, 2012). Some agree that addiction occurs in the brain but should not be considered a brain disease or a disease at all(Lawrence 2013). Substance abuse is the most common addiction that people base their decision upon. These drugs affect the brain and cause different reactions to the rest of the of the body. The types of drugs include: hallucinogens, opioids, sedatives, stimulants, etc. cause different

Disturbances in the levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin appear to be a characteristic of individuals with eating disorders. Kaye 2005 found a reduction in the levels of the serotonin metabolite 5-HIAA in people with eating disorders. This suggests that brain serotonin pathways are underactive. Using PET scans it has been shown that there are fewer serotonin receptors in the brains of those with eating disorders. The brain serotonin system has been implicated in personality traits linked with eating disorders such as

In neuroscience it is assumed that the central nervous system governs and defines all aspects of behavior (Grobstein, 1998). Therefore, the brain, the hub of the central nervous system, is responsible for integrating all sensory and motor patterning. To understand the mechanisms of neurobiology it is often useful to observe the nervous system at the level of the neuron. Integration and communication between neurons is facilitated by neurotransmitters, chemicals which act as intermediaries at the synaptic gap (Delcomyn, 1998). Many behavioral disorders have a neurochemical basis, oftentimes associated with abnormal neurotransmitter activity. These abnormalities are thought to stem from

alcoholism, prior to Parkinson’s disease diagnosis (Weintraub et al., 2009).Low dopamine levels in the substantia nigra not only pose serious implications in the voluntary movement and walking of Parkinson’s disease patients but also in reward processing, motivation and positive emotions. Impulsive behaviours are described as the inability to resist temptation to carry out certain activities e.g. compulsive shopping which provide an immediate feeling of satisfaction and gratification for the sufferer and can lead to adverse financial and social consequences. In contrast, compulsive behaviour is characterized by an urge to perform certain action (Reference and Reference). Impulsive compulsive behaviours linked with the use of prescribed dopamine agonists include pathological gambling, compulsive shopping, punding, binge eating and hypersexuality, while dopamine dysregulation syndrome(DDS) stems from the compulsive use of levodopa (Raja & Bentivoglio,

While there is no definitive cause for most of the somatic symptom disorders that have been established, “genetic and environmental influences appear to contribute to somatization. Somatic symptom disorders have been linked to internalizing genetic risk factors and share genetic overlap with other mental disorders, including eating disorders. Somatization may involve abnormalities in tryptophan catabolism, resulting in lower serum tryptophan levels than controls. This finding is limited to the research domain at present and is not a diagnostic test” Somatic Symptom Disorders. (n.d.).