AI Article Synopsis
- Pica is an eating disorder where individuals consume non-food items, often linked to nutritional deficiencies, and can lead to self-harm.
- The article examines cases of children with pica who also have other issues like trichotillomania, depression, autism, and anxiety, and points out that standard treatments (like antidepressants and therapy) were ineffective.
- However, the use of naltrexone showed significant improvements in reducing pica symptoms and enhancing overall mental health, with positive effects even noted after patients stopped taking the medication.
Article Abstract
Pica is known to the medical community as an eating disorder in which individuals may ingest non-food items due to a nutritional deficiency and cause unintentional physical harm to themselves. This article discusses the cases of children with pica in addition to other comorbidities such as trichotillomania, depression, autism, and anxiety. Both patients were trialed on typical first-line treatments to address pica symptoms, including antidepressants, psychotherapy, and neurology consults, which were ineffective in treating pica symptoms. The introduction of naltrexone resulted in significant improvements, including decreased pica symptoms and improvements in depression, anxiety, and overall behaviors. These effects of naltrexone were further bolstered by the effects that occurred when both patients discontinued naltrexone for some time.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11363882 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.65845 | DOI Listing |
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