Pica - 1443 Words

PICA Life Span Psych Sitting at the park on a marvelous day watching the kids play in the park, then it happens one kid starts eating dirt. Wondering why he’s doing it, and what’s his motive? Intrigued, I go home and research the symptoms and I come up with one word: Pica. But what exactly is Pica? Pica is a very rare disorders with an interesting history, where signs and symptoms help diagnosis the treatments for it. 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,†¦show more content†¦Eating paint is most common among children who live in poverty. It is often related with those who have very little to no parental supervision. Hunger also may result in pica. Which of an inability to tell the difference between food and nonfood items has linked people with mental handicap to Pica. This answer, however, is not supported by the examples of nonfood items that were consciously eaten by people with limited mental gifts. Pica can go unnoticed, and is usually only discovered when a health problem strikes. It can remain undetected for months or even years. Very often pica is detected when an individual suffers from an intestinal blockage, intestinal tear, dental injury, or a poisoning infection linked with eating non-food substances. Blood tests will usually be carried out during, to determine if a mineral shortage could be the cause. Pica is diagnosed in individuals who have routinely eaten non-food substances for at least a month, for whom this behavior is inappropriate to their developmental stage. Those who do not consume these substances as part of a recognized cultural or religious practice will fit into the category. Only a qualified doctor should make a diagnosis of Pica. Laboratory studies may be used to access these answers. The choice of imaging or laboratory studies depends on the characteristics of the ingested materials and the resulting medical problems. In addition to people having pica some animals evenShow MoreRelatedWhat is Pica?1163 Words   |  5 PagesThe definition of Pica is a term that is refers to ingesting, cravings or argues of substances that are not foods items. Some of the most common items indigested by patients with pica are dirt, sand, clay, glue, ice, chalk, beeswax, hair, and laundry starch. The reason for patients having this cravings is because the patient is diagnosed with a nutritional deficiency state, such as iron-deficiency like anemia and a number of many other physiological disturbances in humans brains it have been associatedRead MoreResearch Paper- Pica Disorder1922 Words   |  8 PagesPica Disorder: â€Å"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 causesRead MorePica: A Look Into A Little-Known Eating Disorder1522 Words   |  7 Pageschildren, there is much that is still unknown about pica. There has been little advancement in finding out what causes this disorder and because of that, treating and even diagnosing pica can be difficult. In addition to that, pica can have health consequences that range from mild to severe so, when coupled with the difficulty in treatment and lack of breakthrough research, pica has the potential to be an extremely dangerous disorder. Pica is, for the most part, defined as the desire to consumeRead MoreWhat Does The Word Pica Originates?996 Words   |  4 Pages 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 mayRead MoreWhat Does The Word Pica Originates?996 Words   |  4 Pages 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. CausesRead MoreThe Tension Between The Pages And Real Life1458 Words   |  6 Pagesto combat her disease.† (O’regean, 2009). White is for Witching is a prime example of her transferring her life experiences into her writing with Miranda’s eating disorder, her families’ reaction, and racism. The book mainly follows a girl who has pica, an eating disorder that gives you an appetite for non-food items such as chalk and plastic spoons which happen to be Miranda’s favorite. Like many in her situation (including Helen Oyeyemi) she doesn’t believe she has a problem, she just likes toRead MoreBehavioral Effect On Nutrition1583 Words   |  7 PagesHaving a background in psychology led me to choose a topic that involved a behavioral effect on nutrition. When considering pica as my topic I looked at its relationship to nutrition, as pica is described as the ingestion of â€Å"non-food substances.† (Young et al 2010) With continued research into pica and nutrition, the association of iron deficiency and this disorder became pronounced.. While factors interact to cause iron deficiency, there is incidence of iron deficiency in the vulnerable populationsRead MoreEating Disorders : Eating Behavior And Weight Regulation1034 Words   |  5 Pagesanorexia nervosa are male. Pica is an eating disorder less known to people. Pica is a pattern of eating non-food materials. People who suffer from pica may crave a certain texture in their mouth that does not come from food. One might eat paint, sand, dirt, hairballs, clay and even animal feces. For pica to be diagnosed the pattern of eating non-food material must last for one month or longer. Pica is difficult to test for and may not be apparent to people surrounding the pica victim. It is difficultRead MoreEffects Of Autism On Children With Autism Spectrum Diseases1073 Words   |  5 Pageswhich will effect children getting birth. One of the common autism disorder pregnant women get is â€Å"Pica†. According to Khoushabi, F. , Ahmadi, P. , Shadan, M. , Heydari, A. , Miri, A. , et al. (2014) pica is rare and weird eating disorder where human feels like eating non-nutritional food. This disorder is more common in children and pregnant women. A researcher here studied the association of pica as biochemical profiles of pregnant women and how it is related to pregnancy outcomes. They collectedRead More The Path into Madness in The Yellow Wallpaper1094 Words   |  5 Pagesthe delusion, very similar to what occurred to Jane in the story. In Janes case, the symptoms ended up flying way out of proportion simply because she had nothing else on which to focus.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   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