Each day Jessica eats a regular diet of chicken, vegetables and chocolate. But, whenever her family isn’t around, the 30-year-old mother-of-two tucks into non-food items such as plastic, paper, tin foil, pencils and petroleum jelly.
She suffers from a condition known as Pica and she is desperate to stop.
Pica is considered an eating disorder and is defined by All Health as “an eating disorder in which a person repeatedly eats non-food items”. It’s most commonly associated with pregnancy or in children with developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Jessica’s case is unusual in that it began when she was a child, but has continued into her adulthood. Treatment at an eating disorder clinic was unsuccessful for her.
On a recent episode of The Dr. Oz Show, Jessica begged for help with her eating issues. Article continues after this video.
While discussing her illness on Dr. Oz, Jessica explained that she craves these non-food items when she feels anxious or stressed. She also explained she’s been suffering from it since she was a child, once eating part of her parent’s sofa.
Dr. Drew joined Dr. Oz to try and help her and he suggested that Jessica’s ongoing eating issues could be related to a past trauma.
“I just imagining there’s some trauma in your past too,” he told Jessica. “Your body tries to deal with that trauma and survive it in anyway it can.” He labelled her behaviour “depriving” and “aggressive”.
