3. Pica/Geophagia – Eating Things Not Intended to Be Food
This is one of the more well known addictions on our list. A lot of people have heard of it thanks to the earlier mentioned American documentary series, TLC’s My Strange Addiction.
Pica is an addiction that manifests in a person feeling compelled to eat items that are definitely not food. Some of these things include rocks, ashes, chalk, buttons, coal, clay, coins, dirt, nails, feces, and paper items such as paper towels and toilet paper. Note that Pica is the addiction to eating non-food items while geophagia represents the addiction of eating earthy materials such as clay, coal, dirt, or chalk.
Though a lot of people may have heard about Pica, we still don’t know much about it. The psychology behind this addiction isn’t clear and experts are still trying to better understand it. Because it is believed that this may be a variant of Obsessive-compulsive Disorder, experts say that therapy could alleviate the addiction. Medication is also an option for some people.
You may be wondering if perhaps something is wrong with an addict’s diet that is causing them to have these tendencies. Sadly, even in cases in which this imbalance is spotted, it may not cause the person to stop their addictive behavior, meaning that further treatment is needed.
