Published in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, Bhatia “et al.” Describes a case of anĪdult female who had the habit of ingesting chalk only in stressful situations and was diagnosed as Stressors such as emotional trauma, maternalĭeprivation and disorganized family are strongly linked to pica as a form of comfort. Has been related to mental and emotional disorders. Incidence of Pica is thought to decrease withĪge one study has revealed that about 10% of children older than 12 years engage in Pica. An incidence of Pica greater than 50% isĬonsidered normal in children aged 18 to 36 months.

Patients to admit to abnormal cravings and ingestion. Prevalence of pica is difficult to establish because of differences in definition and the reluctance of Pica and rumination disorders were moved from the Feeding disorders of Infancy and EarlyĬhildhood section of DSM-IV to the Feeding and Eating disorders chapter of DSM-5. Non-food substances are not limited to but include soil, hair, paper and soap. Items vary depending on the patients’ age and the availability of different materials. The course of 1 month, resulting in the need for specialized clinical attention. The central element of Pica is the repeated ingestion of non-nutritive, non-food substance over Keywords: Pica Depression Xylophagia Non-food substance Introduction She was diagnosed to have Xylophagia which is a form of Pica Here we are reporting a case of a 35 year old female presenting withĬonsumption of cardboard pieces. It is considered as a culturally approved practiceĪnd is not always pathological. It can occur secondary to nutritional deficiency or as a form ofĬomfort in people with psychosocial stressors. Pica is defined as the repeated and excessive consumption of non-nutritive, non-food substances

*Corresponding author: Sathyanarayana Rao, Department ofĬite this article as: George M, Maheshwari S, Ram D, Manju George, Shreemit Maheshwari, Dushad Ram, Rajesh Raman and Sathyanarayana Raoĭepartment of Psychiatry, JSS University, Mysore, India Case Report A Case Report of a Female Patient with Pica

Pica symptoms in adults