Some classify pica syndrome as an eating disorder. Others refuse this qualification.
THE pica syndrome designates a behavioral disorder which consists of ingest non-food substances. This rare psychiatric illness generally concerns patients already suffering from a personality disorder. What are the causes ? The risks for health ? How to treat this syndrome?
Definition: what is pica syndrome?
The term “pica” comes from Latin and means “magpie”, in reference to the bird which has the reputation of eating everything, the magpie. “There Pica disease is a very rare behavioral disorder characterized by therepeated ingestion of inedible and non-nutritive substances For many months” indicates Dr. Vannina Micheli-Rechtman, psychiatrist. Some classify it as eating disorders (TCA). “Others refuse this qualification since what is ingested is not food and that this disorder does not include bodily disorders or reference to weight” reports Dr. Micheli-Rechtman. Pica syndrome affects both children and adults.
What are the symptoms of pica disease?
“Symptoms manifest as persistent consumption of non-nutritive substances over a prolonged period of time” underlines our interlocutor. The substances ingested can vary from one person to another but generally we find the ingestion of:
- earth
- dust
- chalk
- pebbles
- hair (trichophagia)
What causes pica syndrome?
The causes are not yet well understood but several factors can contribute to its appearance: behavioral disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders, delusional people… Sometimes eating inedible substances can be a way to cope with anxiety, stress or emotional disturbances. “I sometimes receive teenage girls who eat their hair when stressed and anxious” reports Dr. Micheli-Rechtman before recalling that “This very rare disorder mainly concerns people suffering from pronounced personality disorders.
What are the health risks of pica syndrome?
“Consumption of inedible substances may cause obstructions in the digestive systemleading to serious intestinal problems such as intestinal obstructions. Some substances can be toxic and cause poisoning. develops the psychiatrist. Additionally, eating non-nutritive substances can cause nutritional deficiencies and/or malnutrition.
Treatment for pica syndrome will depend on the underlying cause and severity of the disorder. It may include a combination of behavioral therapies with a psychiatric monitoring, neuroleptic treatments, anxiolytics and treatments for possible associated behavioral disorders.
Thanks to Dr Vannina Micheli-Rechtman, psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, philosopher, author of “The New Fatal Beauties – Eating disorders as image pathologies” (Eres, 2022).