Pica (disorder)
eating disorder
Pica ( PY-kə) is the psychologically compulsive craving or consumption of objects that are not normally intended to be consumed. It is classified as an eating disorder but can also be the result of an existing mental disorder. The ingested or craved substance may be biological, natural, or manmade. The term was drawn directly from the Latin word for the Eurasian magpie, a bird subject to much folklore regarding its opportunistic feeding behaviors.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), pica as a standalone eating disorder must persist for more than one month at an age when eating such objects is considered developmentally inappropriate, not part of culturally sanctioned practice, and sufficiently severe to warrant clinical attention. Pica may lead to intoxication in children, which can result in an impairment of both physical and mental development. In addition, it can cause surgical emergencies due to intestinal obstructions, as well as more subtle symptoms such as nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron deficiency, as well as parasitosis. Pica has been linked to other mental disorders. Stressors such as psychological trauma, maternal deprivation, family issues, parental neglect, pregnancy, and a disorganized family structure are risk factors for pica.
Pica is most commonly seen in pregnant women, small children, and people who may have developmental disorders such as autism.
“Pica (disorder)” enters the record as eating disorder. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Pica, disorder and eating can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1134891. The Library of Congress control number is sh85101913. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Pica (disorder)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.