What is Pica? (Eating Nonfood Substances)

This video describes pica, which is a mental health disorder that involves eating non-nutritive non-food substances. Usually, we think of pica as occurring mostly in childhood, but it does occur sometimes in adults. There are four criteria for a diagnosis of pica and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). The first is persistently eating non-nutritive non-food substances for a period of at least one month. The second is that this behavior is not inappropriate to the developmental level of the individual. The third is that this is not part of a culturally supported or socially normative practice. The fourth is if this behavior co-occurs with another mental health disorder, like intellectual disability, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, or a medical condition, it’s severe enough to warrant additional clinical attention. So if it’s not severe enough to warrant that additional attention, it’s not diagnosed. We see from the diagnostic criteria the substance has to be non-food, so we don’t see a diagno