A taste for the unusual
Current Psychiatry. 2013 March;12(03):46-49
March 1, 2013|Current Psychiatry
Author and Disclosure Information
Ms. O, age 48, has been vomiting for 3 days. She has a history of eating cardboard and pencils, but the urge became uncontrollable since gastric bypass surgery 2 years ago. How would you treat her?
Table
Behavioral interventions for pica
| Intervention | Comments |
|---|---|
| Environmental enrichment | Providing additional stimulus to increase neuronal activity and focus behaviors |
| Noncontingent reinforcement | Presenting reinforcers according to a fixed schedule |
| Differential reinforcement | Desired behaviors are reinforced and inappropriate behaviors are ignored |
| Response blocking | Physically block a patient’s attempts to eat nonedible items |
| Source: Reference 8 | |
Related Resources
- Blinder BJ, Salama C. An update on pica: prevalence, contributing causes, and treatment. Psychiatric Times. www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/1159376?pageNumber=1. Published May 1, 2008.
- Nurcombe B. Developmental disorders of attachment, feeding, elimination, & sleeping. In: Ebert MH, Loosen PT, Nurcombe B, et al, eds. CURRENT diagnosis & treatment: psychiatry. 2nd ed. New York, NY: McGraw Hill; 2008.
Drug Brand Names
- Buprenorphine • Subutex
- Bupropion • Wellbutrin, Zyban
- Chlorimipramine • Anafranil
- Esomeprazole • Nexium
- Fluoxetine • Prozac
- Lorazepam • Ativan
- Olanzapine • Zyprexa
- Ziprasidone • Geodon
Disclosure
The authors report no financial relationship with any company whose products are mentioned in this article or with manufacturers of competing products.
