Pica: The health disorder that often manifested differently in childhood

Remember in school or college, a lot was often talked about that one child or those few children who had the unusual habit of relishing bricks, chalks, or smelling superglue, etc.? This is neither a developed habit nor a hobby; it is a health disorder called pica. Since many people still remain unaware of the condition, and often there is no one to ask about it, it was mistakenly generalised as filling in for calcium deficiency. But such is not the real case. Here’s what you need to know about pica so that individuals suffering from it are not laughed at or bullied over.

How to identify pica?

When you notice someone eating non-edible items like ash, charcoal, bricks, pebbles, paint chips, nails, paper, powder, etc., it might be a sign of them having pica. It usually manifests due to extreme stress or worry. At times, it may develop in pregnant women.

While once the pregnancy period is over it might disappear or once a child is taught the difference between edible and non-edible food, it might lessen. There are times when it aggravates, and one may need to seek therapy. Other symptoms also include anaemia, constipation, electrolyte imbalance, lead poisoning, etc.

These non-edible items are often consumed in small quantities, but depending on what is being consumed, the consequences may differ. They become harmful because they can damage the teeth, get stuck in the food pipe, cause irritation in the stomach, become difficult to digest, or cause parasitic infections when soil or mud is consumed.

Named after the Eurasian magpie, because of its unusual habit of consuming random objects, pica is best treated by therapy rather than medicine. Most of the time, what happens is people suffering from pica find it embarrassing to discuss the elephant in the room and often suppress this habit of theirs, giving it a chance to grow in them, causing problems later.

This also means that it is not diagnosed in time or treated as well. One has to be patient while dealing with an individual suffering from it. If it seems to be quite aggressive, then mild punishments are also given so that one understands the difference between what should be consumed and what not. Pica is an uncommon habit but not rare and those dealing with it need to be very patient and mild while trying to rehabilitate oneself.

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