Definition
Pica is a term that refers to cravings for substances that are not foods. Materials consumed by patients with pica include dirt, ice, clay, glue, sand, chalk, beeswax, chewing gum, laundry starch, and hair.
Description
Pica is the craving or ingestion of nonfood items. The cravings found in patients diagnosed with pica may be associated with a nutritional deficiency state, such as iron-deficiency anemia; with pregnancy; or with mental...
Source: Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders, ©2003 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
(The entire page is 1698 words.)
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