Eating Dirt.....

December of 2011 has finally arrived.  iPhone 4's are exploding, the Santa Ana winds are hammering the west coast and among other odd news hospitalizations for eating dirt has increased.  Yes, there are no typos there.....hospitals have reported an increase in the number of patients being treated after eating non-nutritive substances.



It's called Pica.  Individuals with Pica feel compelled to eat substances such as dirt, chalk, toilet paper and other items.  I have also seen individuals with this disorder eat hair and denim.  Those who eat things such as hair and denim will often seek hospital treatment as the body isn't capable of digesting these things.

These individuals experience their "desire" to eat these items as almost one of compulsion.  I suppose you could say it is similar in some ways to that of an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in that sometimes they obsess over eating the item and then feel compelled to eat with may temporarily relieve the obsessive thoughts or anxiety.  At any rate.... you can see where this has the potential to be a real medical emergency.



Patients most likely to experience this are children, pregnant women and those with Autism.  Other individuals may also eat non-nutritive substances requiring hospitalization but they do so for different reasons.  For example, a dementia patient who believes a plastic piece of fruit is a real one or either an individual with an intellectual disability who may do the same thing.

Amongst exploding iPhone 4's, west coast winds and other strange news.... Pica is on the rise and the DSM-V will hopefully offer some insight into this disorder although it isn't scheduled for release until May 2013.