This can be very dangerous as it contains high concentrations of lead, resulting in lead poisoning.

Paint is a substance that recorded patients with pica have eaten. It’s pretty harmless to eat ice for example, but eating other things can be highly dangerous. The effects depend on what has been eaten. These include for example – soil, ice, clay, paint, eggshells, coffee grounds, paper, soap, charcoal, hair and even human or animal poo. People suffering from pica may eat a huge variety of things.

What kind of things do people with pica eat? Mental health conditions – Pica is more common in those with learning disabilities, autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, trichotillomania (pulling out hair) and schizophrenia.Pregnant women – In one American study 27.8-68% of pregnant women experienced pica.Children – The disorder is said to affect 10-30% of children between the ages of 1 to 6 years.Adults – In one Eating Disorder Clinic, 4% of adult men and women had pica.Research has shown that pica most commonly affects young children, pregnant women and those with mental health conditions. According to BEAT (the ‘Beat Eating Disorders’ Charity), the number of requests for help with pica has doubled in the past 2 years. People may be secretive about what they are eating and the disorder may well remain hidden for a long time before a diagnosis is made. It’s more difficult to establish the prevalence for people living independently, where the condition is often hidden and unrecognised. The condition is most common in people living in institutions in whom the prevalence is between 4-26%. The name originates from the Latin word pica which means magpie – the bird which eats just about anything. By definition it involves eating substances which are non-food items. Pica is an eating disorder in which sufferers have dietary cravings for eating things with no nutritional value. But who can be affected, what are the causes, and what else is there to know? Image © estherpoon | iStock Pica is a feeding disorder where the sufferer craves to eat non-food substances such as soil, ice or clay.

Pica in pregnancy definition