An abused child who is not adequately nourished may try and eat nonfood substances. ![]() Neglect and a lack of supervision are also risk factors, according to DSM-5. ![]() In fact, pica has a higher prevalence rate in individuals with intellectual disabilities than those with eating disorders (Karlsson, Råstam, & Wentz, 2013). Much of the research on pica has focused on its occurrence in those who have an intellectual disability. Pregnant women experience pica, which may be part of pregnancy ‘cravings’ for different types of food. Some researchers have linked the odd cravings to nutritional deficiencies such as mineral deficiencies (Kumsar & Erol, 2013). Africa has a higher incidence of pica than western countries, for example. Pica is more common in areas of low economic status. The onset of pica is typically in childhood, although there is no age specification for developing the disorder. The behavior of the child, who also suffers from an iron deficiency, was considered compulsive (Senol, Özdemir, Sahiner, & Özdemir, 2013). A typical example is a young girl from a poor family who suffered from constipation and colonic obstruction as a result of eating stones. A Turkish research team has reported most cases of colonic obstruction to be related to pica. In pica, the compulsive behavior has been linked to low economic status. The subject ate uncooked rice during three pregnancies resulting in abdominal discomfort (Upadhyaya & Sharma, 2012). An example of pica linked to OCD is a pregnant woman with obsessive-compulsive disorder whose sole manifestation was pica. ![]()
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