a tidbit of caution

Like all disorders, pica sometimes chooses its victims. Some individuals are more likely than others to contract it.

Listed below are the people who tend to be the most prone to developing pica. If you’re on the list, don’t panic–it’s not guaranteed that you’ll get it.

1. Pregnant women

Giving birth or being placed in really stressful situations can cause pica. Bonus points if the diet doesn’t provide all the necessary nutrients the woman needs.

2. People with mental disorders

Mental disorders are defined by Wikipedia as psychological or behavioral patterns associated with distress or disability that occur in individuals and are not a part of normal development or culture. Examples of mental disorders are hysteria, specific phobias, schizophrenia, and Bipolar disorder. Pica is actually closely related because of its psychological roots: it manifests as a compulsive urge to ingest non-food items.

3. People with developmental disabilities or similar impairments

These people are the most-often contractors of pica. Statistically speaking, studies have shown that about 1% of people with mild mental retardation and 5% with profound mental retardation have pica. In institutional settings, the percentage may go up to 30%. Check this out for more info.

4. People born into a culture where pica is encouraged

The picture above shows two Mardudjara Aborigines, who live around Lake Disappointment in Australia. Among the notable characteristics of their tribe is their barbaric circumcision ritual where the circumcised male has to swallow his own foreskin. Since, from a certain viewpoint, the male is engaging in self-cannibalism, the Mardudjara are an example of a tribe where “pica” is a norm. Any male born into this tribe has to comply with the ritual. Technically, however this is not medically classified as pica due to its cultural roots.

kinda like crime

People rarely, if ever, notify their physician about pica. It would be highly unorthodox and embarassing to report that you want to eat feces for every meal. Really! Why do people do that?! Many pica cases are DANGEROUS and DEADLY. Wood, glass and metal can easily pierce the stomach while dirt and feces can easily harbor harmful pathogens (Hello tapeworm!). It is very odd indeed. People should report these at the onset to prevent harmful aftereffects. Which is better, your self-image or your health?

eat or be eaten!

Pica is said to have many possible causes. Nutritional deficiencies can cause people to find an alternative source of supplement. An example of this is the belief that eating a certain kind of hardened clay will prolong life and promote better health. It is also associated with autism and mental problems. Pica is derived from the latin word for magpie of the same meaning. The magpie is well known for its appetite, which is large and starne. Bon appetit!

a rose by any other name

Proof #1: The existence of a disorder that causes one to eat inedible stuff

Aha. So it does have a name.

Pica.

Or, in other words, an eating disorder where you ingest “nonnutritive substances.” Pica comes from the Latin word for magpie, which is a bird that’s said to eat almost everything. People with pica tend to mouth or eat really unbelievable stuff that most people would never, ever think of putting anywhere close to their lips. Pica pops up a lot in children, and consequently, it tends to be a favorite of people with developmental problems. In some societies, pica is culturally approved.

For someone to be diagnosed with pica, he or she has to be beyond the age of two years. Its other conditions state that the culture the person is a part of must disapprove of pica, and pica must occur even when a psychological disorder isn’t present. Pica must also last for more than a month.

if so, i’d never go hungry again

If you could gorge yourself forever and ever with any food on earth, no consequences health-wise, what food would you pick?

Possible answers: Apple pie. Bananas. Ice cream. Chocolate eclairs. Boy Bawang. Balut. Fertilized duck eggs. Giant water bugs (no, seriously–ask anybody from Taiwan). Roasted locusts. Korean BBQ. Pepperoni pizza. Al olio pasta. Expensive caviar.

All passable, right?

And then there’s the weird answers that no normal “sane” person would truly consider in a million years.

Batteries. Bed springs. Clay. Forks. Rocks. Lightbulbs. Hair. Whole cars (not the toy kind). Real planes. Needles.

Well, guess what? People who enjoy these… “delicacies” do exist, supposedly. Moreover, these food unconventionalists are often said to be grown adults who can think straight and whose neurons are intact and undamaged. But is this really true? Who in their right minds would eat glass, metal, and plastic just for the heck of it? We intend to find out!

Due to the nature of this project (which is definitely not a product of mere boredom on our part), we’ll ask medical experts about how valid these claims are. Research is our plan here, and we’ll be combing through interesting cases in respected medical establishments. Expect more posts, ranging from videos to rambles to interesting trivia.