Pica definition horses manual#

Simply put: “For some people, the taste and texture of soil in the mouth is very appealing.” Similarly, Thomson describes “an emerging theory that it may be driven by an innate drive to strengthen the immune system through ingestion of micro-organisms.” Pica has also been posited as a stress mechanism for some people living with autism spectrum disorders, OCD, and schizophrenia.įinally, there’s the organoleptic model. There are theories that “deficits in nutrition such as iron and zinc play a role”, with sufferers subconsciously craving substances which contain those minerals. There are four prevailing ideas about what causes pica, said Thomson.

Pica definition horses manual#

“ previously obscured by other diagnoses – and to some degree may still be, because it remains poorly understood and recognised,” Thomson said, adding it was only a recent addition to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), psychology’s go-to guidebook. She said it’s hard to say how many Australians experience pica due to a simple lack of data. Pica is a challenging, complex, and under-researched disorder, according to Juliette Thomson, a psychologist and manager of The Butterfly Foundation’s national hotline. But in her experience, “the people who are having the health issues are the ones that consume in very large quantities.” “I chew them for the satisfaction of the craving but do not consume them,” Mia said, adding she is on “Team Don’t Swallow”.

Some Instagrammers also state they don’t actually ingest the non-food items shown in their videos it’s hard to tell whether this is to downplay health concerns or to define themselves as ASMR-only chewers, as both camps use the same blur of pica-related hashtags. P.TV has observed vendors warning would-be buyers they should chew clay products at their own peril. There’s some knowledge on Instagram that those cravings carry potential risks. “Pretty soon I went and got some and it satisfied my cravings.” “I wondered what it tasted like, so I started craving it,” Rose said. But Rose said her cravings began with chalk, which she first felt compelled to eat while pregnant – a factor heavily linked to pica diagnoses. Her profile mirrors Mia’s, with a seemingly endless stream of rocky chunks being chewed on camera. I didn’t initially know people ate clays,” Rose said. Rose*, another Instagram user whose posts often fall under the #pica hashtag, said the platform exposed her to niches she may not have discovered otherwise. I knew I had to purchase it and try it!,” Mia said. Like ‘basementy’, ‘cementy’ and earth after rain. “I saw people describing clays and dirts that reminded my of the cravings I had as a kid. That ASMR content “led me to the pica community,” she said. Mia said she was drawn to videos of people eating ice, which triggered her ASMR – that is, her Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or the calming, tingling sensation people like Mia experience when they hear certain crunching, crackling sounds.

That changed when she turned to Instagram and YouTube. “Then as I got older I realised it was weird so I mostly stopped but always had the craving.” I just craved a certain kind of rocks and loved the smell of dirt after it rained and basements,” Mia told P.TV via Instagram messages. Her videos draw thousands of views each, and her fans often comment on what she should chew next. Her camera captures the act close-up: small chunks of earth disappear into her mouth, where they shatter into a million pieces. Mia* is one of many Instagram users whose profile is filled with videos of her chewing a dizzying variety of dirt. However, those in the community described relief upon finding people on Instagram with the same uncommon cravings. Thousands of posts under hashtags like #pica (311,000 tagged posts), #chalkeating (139,000) and #edibleclay (5,000) raise questions about the limitations of existing censorship and whether the platform provides a support network for sufferers – or works to harm those with the compulsion. Others offer rare clays and chalks for sale, suggesting the existence of a sophisticated pica network.

Scores of public accounts feature Instagrammers, many of them teenagers, chewing and appearing to swallow brittle rocks and dirt. Pica, an eating disorder where sufferers habitually consume non-edible substances such as chalk, clay, or dirt, is a little known but potentially deadly condition.ĭespite Instagram making significant efforts to censor or eliminate potentially harmful content around better known eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, a thriving community of pica ‘enthusiasts’ has grown without any apparent oversight.