Pica: Eating Disorder-Diagnosis, & Treatment Approaches

A Quick Guide

Pica is an eating disorder characterized by the consumption of non-food substances, which can lead to serious health complications. Treatment for pica involves therapy and, in some cases, medication. Diagnosis is based on medical history, diagnostic tests, and criteria such as duration of non-food consumption, awareness of the behavior, cultural and social norms, and absence of underlying medical conditions.

Pica

Pica is an eating disorder that is characterized by the consumption of non-food substances that have no nutritional value. A person may consume things like clay, paint, dirt, etc. While it may be harmless at times, consumption of dangerous and toxic substances can lead to a lot of other serious health complications.

Hence, it is important that pica is recognized and treated right away. The treatment for pica primarily includes therapy or at times medication depending on the case. 

According to a study in the United States, pica may be present in 18.5% of children. While there is no single cause as to what leads to the development of pica. There are certain risk factors such as medical conditions, nutritional deficiencies, and other mental health conditions that could all lead to pica. 

How can Pica be diagnosed?

There is no specific test for pica. Instead, your healthcare provider will take your medical history and consider a few other factors. You will receive a diagnosis based on that.

It is crucial that you are honest with your doctor about your medical history and eating habits as that can help them give you an accurate diagnosis. 

Furthermore, your healthcare provider may use other diagnostic tests to check the possibility of pica. Some of these tests include the following: 

• Blood tests to check for potential anemia and low iron or zinc levels.
• Checking for nutritional deficiencies.
• Lead levels to check for lead poisoning.
• Stool samples to check for intestinal bleeding.
• Weight loss assessment.
• X-rays to check for intestinal blockages etc. 

Moreover, your healthcare provider may diagnose you on the basis of these factors: 

• The amount of time you have been consuming these nonfood substances. If it is more than one month, then it might warrant clinical attention. 
• A person’s intellectual development also matters. For instance, if a person has mentally developed beyond a certain point that they are aware that ingesting such substances is wrong and they still do then it might be a problem.
• Eating these non-food substances is not part of their culture or it is not socially acceptable behavior. 
• Lastly, ingesting these items is not due to some sort of medical condition. 

How can pica be treated? 

The treatment options for pica vary for every individual as the underlying causes of pica are different for everyone. 

Moreover, your healthcare provider may also have to treat any other health complications you may have acquired due to the ingestion of these nonfood items. 

For instance, if you have ingested a paint chip, which could lead to lead poisoning, you may be prescribed Chelation therapy which includes using certain medications that bind with lead and allows you to excrete it through urine. 

Therapy 

Pica itself can be treated with some therapeutic techniques that have proven to be beneficial. Some of these include the following: 

Aversion therapy: It helps a person give up on pica behaviors by having them associate it with something unpleasant. 

Behavioral therapy: It is used to help a person develop better-coping mechanisms and strategies to aid them in modifying their behavior.

Differential reinforcement: This is a strategy used in Applied Behavior Analysis ABA for behavior modification. It may be used to decrease pica behaviors. 

Medication

There is no specific medication for pica but some drugs may be prescribed for managing behavioral issues. Moreover, while anti-psychotics may also help with pica, the side effects are far greater than the benefits hence they do not have widespread use. 

We hope you found this article useful in understanding more about Pica, along with its diagnosis and treatment options. To learn more about the symptoms and causes of pica, check out our other article: Pica: Eating Disorder-Symptoms, Causes, Complications