How to Manage Pica Disorder

Pica is a rare eating disorder that is characterized by an appetite for non-nutritionally substantive things, such as dirt or plastic, that lasts more than a month. Fortunately, it is possible to manage pica. Follow these steps to learn how.

Instructions

• 1

  Consult with your doctor as soon as you notice signs that you, or someone close to you, is engaging in the behavior. Watch for signs of poisoning, anemia and malnutrition as symptoms or causes of pica.

• 2

  Build a plan. Successful treatments of pica are based on the creation of a plan that takes into account who the pica sufferer is and why he is engaging in the behavior. Involving friends and family to help monitor the patient and provide reinforcement of concepts related to inedible food goes a long way to help manage the disorder.

• 3

  Try behavioral and associative treatments. Part of the problem of pica is that pica patients don't realized that they are eating something bad. Associating bad tastes and smells with inedible objects helps patients refrain from eating inedible objects.

• 4

  See a psychiatrist. When physical causes have been ruled out, pica might be associated with depression and other psychological disorders. Many patients have found that a regimen of serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) helps them manage the disorder. Pica patients who have developmental disorders might also benefit from psychological and psychiatric treatment to help curb the disorder. So, consult with a mental health care professional to get more information.