There are so many diseases, disorders, and infections in the world today that we aren't aware of. Imagine having a constant craving to consume something that's not particularly edible; such as tissue, dirt, paint, glue, or something else that has no nutritional value. When you think of an addiction, smoking or drinking might come to mind. This is a different type of addiction. .
Pica is an unconventional eating disorder typically defined as the persistent ingestive of nonnutritive substances that can sometimes result in life-threatening consequences." (Cynthia) Pica got it's name from the Latin word magpie, a bird that by folklore incessantly gathers objects to satiate its curiosity. " (Bruce) Eating toilet paper really affected my body in various ways. I had constipation, stomach and headaches for days, and diarrhea. Despite the fact that I knew I was harming my body, I still continued to eat it. I couldn't stop myself. I was obsessed. I was scared for myself, so I decided to look up my problem on google and Pica popped up. I looked at the inedible items and toilet paper was listed.
This is a disorder that I have had for two years. In the summer of 2013, I started having a liking to toilet paper. At first I didn't eat much, but as days, weeks, and months went by I craved it every single day. I didn't tell anyone because I was embarrassed. I knew that they would call me weird, gross, and many other names. .
At the beginning of last year I told my mom and her exact words were "You're going to die." The next day she took me to the doctor. The doctor took blood tests and a lot of other tests on me. Hours later she diagnosed me with Pica. She then told me all of the things included in toilet paper and why it shouldn't be eaten. She told me all of the complications that can result in eating toilet paper. She told me more about what could happen, but I knew that I would just go home and repeat the same cycle.