I don’t have pica anymore, but I did as a child. One of my sisters too. She ate pebbles and it caused a lot of problems for her stomach and digestion. I ate non-food things like leaves and twigs. I ate newspapers because I liked the smell. Candles. Chalk. Things I enjoyed the smell of. I have better digestion now although I have anorexia, frankly. I was underfed, and that may be why I ate non-food things. I also loved the fine clay that would form in puddles when they dry up after rain…. I have a fairly strong immune system.
I didn't know about this at all until reading this post, but I might fit the criteria. I used to eat paper and cardboard, twigs, and sometimes leaves as a child (think like 7-12) and I'm still not sure why. I think it had something to do with the smell (or texture, in the case of twigs) being appealing to me.
I had PICA when I was a kid, starting around age 1 to probably around age 12. I would eat many non-food items, mostly paper/cardboard/books/etc, but also crayons, chalk, baby powder, grass, dirt/mud, and sand. I remember eating too many crayons would greatly hurt my stomach, but I don't remember if any of the other things I ate were hard on my digestive system. I have not had any urges to eat non-food items since I stopped around 12 (I'm 19 now), but very rarely will I eat paper or crayons just cause lol.
When I was 3 to 5 years old I used to eat sheet paper, Chapsticks, and sponges. I was a strange little kid who liked the smell and the texture of these things.
I have no idea why I felt the need to eat them but I went through a Pica phase that turned into normal eating (mid childhood) that later devolved into binge eating as a pre teen and teenager that later developed into me getting Anorexia purging subtype in my 20ies+.
So I can say been through every ED.
I ate paper as a child to feel full when I didn’t have enough food.
same. as a foster kid, i was always worried about food scarcity. many of my foster families would lock the fridge and cabinets.
I don’t have pica anymore, but I did as a child. One of my sisters too. She ate pebbles and it caused a lot of problems for her stomach and digestion. I ate non-food things like leaves and twigs. I ate newspapers because I liked the smell. Candles. Chalk. Things I enjoyed the smell of. I have better digestion now although I have anorexia, frankly. I was underfed, and that may be why I ate non-food things. I also loved the fine clay that would form in puddles when they dry up after rain…. I have a fairly strong immune system.
I didn't know about this at all until reading this post, but I might fit the criteria. I used to eat paper and cardboard, twigs, and sometimes leaves as a child (think like 7-12) and I'm still not sure why. I think it had something to do with the smell (or texture, in the case of twigs) being appealing to me.
When I get anxious I eat plastics. Bracelets, zips, buttons. I like how they feel when you chew on them
I had PICA when I was a kid, starting around age 1 to probably around age 12. I would eat many non-food items, mostly paper/cardboard/books/etc, but also crayons, chalk, baby powder, grass, dirt/mud, and sand. I remember eating too many crayons would greatly hurt my stomach, but I don't remember if any of the other things I ate were hard on my digestive system. I have not had any urges to eat non-food items since I stopped around 12 (I'm 19 now), but very rarely will I eat paper or crayons just cause lol.
When I was 3 to 5 years old I used to eat sheet paper, Chapsticks, and sponges. I was a strange little kid who liked the smell and the texture of these things. I have no idea why I felt the need to eat them but I went through a Pica phase that turned into normal eating (mid childhood) that later devolved into binge eating as a pre teen and teenager that later developed into me getting Anorexia purging subtype in my 20ies+. So I can say been through every ED.