So weird!
The disorder Pica, in which the person eats non-edible things like hair, paper, dirt and feces, has doubled in the past decade!
So, why? What’s going on?
Pica is most common in women and children with autism.
Pica hospitalizations have almost doubled over the last decade, increasing by 93 percent from 964 to 1,862 from 1999 to 2009, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality report showed.
The reason for the near doubling of pica hospitalizations could be attributed to the increased number of children being diagnosed with autism in recent years, MyHealthNewsDaily reported. In fact, 31 percent of pica cases among children in 2009 were in kids with autism.
So bizarre. There’s even a specific name for those compelled to eat dirt — geophagy — and it’s usually noted in young kids and pregnant women. Usually points to malnutrition, but that hasn’t been proven fact.
Any cause or excuse they give it doesn’t change that it’s weird, but we can’t forget that these are people too, just like you and I otherwise!
[Image via AP Images.]
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