What Is Pica?
It is possible that, at some point, we find our children eating, licking or nibbling things that they should not. A piece of modeling clay, paint, glue, wax crayons, clay, etc. This type of behavior is known as: the pica.
It is an eating disorder. In other words, the child suddenly feels the need to eat substances that are not part of any food group and that can even be harmful to their health. It should be noted that this need is almost uncontrollable.
It is considered normal for a child to put non-food substances in their mouth until about 18 to 24 months of age. If the behavior persists, it can already be considered a disorder. Which is why it is important to be vigilant.
What does the pica indicate?
The pike denotes a decompensation. Either organic (nutrient deficiency) or psychological (mental disorders, intellectual disability, among others). This means that, depending on the case, it will manifest itself for both causes. It is very important to identify the cause with a health professional in order to apply a timely treatment.
A child or a person suffering from pica disorder can eat dirt, chalk, paper, smell nail polish and even eat coal or feces (animal or human) indiscriminately.
History of the disorder
The term “pica” refers to a bird, specifically the magpie. This bird maintains a rather strange behavior in relation to its feeding habits.
However, the pica has also been adopted by various civilizations as part of rituals and healing formulas. For example, eating clay mud is considered an act capable of healing, and although it is not medically proven, it is not nutritionally acceptable.
Prevalence of this disorder
Whether this practice outside of human logic will continue will be difficult to predict since many people are not willing to admit that they suffer from this disorder.
In addition, knowing what pica is allows us to understand why many are ashamed of it. They know that it is something completely out of the norm and, even, many are aware of how harmful it is, but they cannot avoid doing it.
It is very important that, if our young children suffer from this disorder, we take the necessary measures to prevent it from perpetuating over time.
If they are old enough to understand the reasons, it is very important to talk with them, tell them why it is wrong to eat substances other than food and everything related to the situation. This way they can better understand the problem and why it is a good idea to take advice from mom and dad.
Risk factors for pica
Knowing then what pica is, we can understand that, if the family environment has a confusing background and a hostile environment, the possibility of suffering this type of disorder will be greater.
In addition, there are factors that can influence a family member to develop this behavior, such as:
- Addictions to harmful, toxic or illegal substances.
- Bad influences from the social environment.
- Poor diet at home.
- Affective deficiencies.
- Mental handicap
- Lack of attention.
Causes of pica
- Nutritional factor: under this theory it is presumed that the appearance of this disorder is due to the deficiency of some mineral in the body, such as iron and zinc. The pica seeks to compensate for this deficiency generally through the ingestion of soil.
- Sensory factor: it is stated that the person who suffers from this disorder enjoys the taste, texture or smell of the substance that he ingests in an irrational and excessive way.
- Psychosocial factor: the disorder is associated to a greater or lesser degree with anxiety problems.
Treatment for these types of problems may include the use of drugs, if the doctor thinks so. On the other hand, it will be necessary to maintain constant psychological therapy and apply the professional’s advice in an orderly and consistent manner. The important thing is to seek the improvement of the patient to guarantee his health.
