Pica is an
appetite for non-nutritive substances (e.g.,
coal,
soil,
chalk,
paper etc.) or an abnormal appetite for some things that may be considered
foods, such as food ingredients (e.g.,
flour, raw
potato,
starch). In order for these actions to be considered pica, they must persist for more than one month, at an age where eating such objects is considered developmentally inappropriate. The condition's name comes from the
Latin word for the
magpie, a bird which is reputed to eat almost anything. Pica is seen in all ages, particularly in
pregnant women and small children, especially among children who are
developmentally disabled, where it is the most common eating disorder.
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