It is helpful to make everyone who comes into contact with that individual aware of the dangers of pica and enlist their assistance in providing supervision and keeping the environment safe.įor those individuals who purposefully seek out items to ingest, it is a good idea to obtain a medical consultation to identify any underlying conditions such as iron deficiencies that may be causing the behavior. You may need to put locks on cabinets, drawers, or the refrigerator. It is also important to carefully supervise the individual to block or stop mouthing or pica when it first occurs. If you are caring for a person who engages in pica accidentally due to mouthing, it is critical to keep the environment clear of items that could be mouthed and/or swallowed. These accidental and purposeful situations should be handled in different ways. Other times, pica occurs in a purposeful way when the individual seeks out the item to ingest. This occurs in both young children and individuals with disabilities who like the sensation of putting things in their mouths. Sometimes pica occurs by accident when an individual “mouths” an item and then accidentally swallows it. Simply treating the iron deficiency may successfully reduce the behavior. For example, people with iron deficiency may crave and eat clay, chalk, and dirt. The exact cause of pica is not known, but it may be associated with certain medical conditions (gastric parasites, sickle cell disease, iron deficiency), genetic disorders, and mental health conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. While some of these items may not lead to significant medical complications, others can cause poisoning, bowel obstructions or perforations, malnutrition, and even death. Pica behavior may also be seen in about 10% of individuals with autism and other developmental challenges.Ī person with pica may eat dirt, rocks, screws, nails, hair, crayons, glue, cleaning supplies, plastic, erasers, buttons, paint chips, chalk, wood, glass, needles, rubber bands, cigarette ends, and/or pieces of metal. The disorder has been diagnosed in 27-68% of pregnant women and in up to 50% of very young children. Pica (pronounced “pike-ah”) is a very dangerous disorder characterized by craving or ingesting inedible items.
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