What is PICA?

Given the risk of medical complications (such as lead poisoning) associated with pica, close medical monitoring is necessary throughout treatment of the eating behavior. Additionally, close collaboration with a mental health team skilled in treating pica is ideal for optimal treatment of these complex cases. read more

Pica is a psychological disorder characterized by an appetite for substances that are largely non-nutritive, such as ice ; hair (trichophagia); paper (xylophagia); drywall or paint; metal (metallophagia); stones (lithophagia) or soil ; glass (hyalophagia); or feces (coprophagia); and chalk. read more

People with the disorder pica compulsively eat items that have no nutritional value. An affected person might eat relatively harmless items, such as ice. Or they might eat potentially dangerous items, likes flakes of dried paint or pieces of metal. read more