Random Mental Health Questions

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1) Have you (or anyone you know) had Pica - if so, tell me about it.
2) Are antipsychotics supposed to help AS? Mine made my AS worse.

1)no what is it?
2) NO!! !! !! !! !! !! ! Damn it!! !! !! !! !! ! there is nothing!! !! !! !! !! ! I work with drugs!! !! !

1) Good old wiki

Pica is an appetite for non-foods (e.g., coal, soil, chalk, paper etc.) or an abnormal appetite for some things that may be considered foods, such as food ingredients (e.g., flour, raw potato, starch). In order for these actions to be considered pica, they must persist for more than one month, at an age where eating such objects is considered developmentally inappropriate. The condition's name comes from the Latin word for the magpie, a bird which is reputed to eat almost anything. Pica is seen in all ages, particularly in pregnant women and small children, especially among children who are developmentally disabled, where it is the most common eating disorder. Geophagia refers specifically to the consumption of dirt and clay.

Yuck

2) I do not know. Some can mess people's minds up.

does no one listen to me,there is no medation for AS.

mmmmmmm, now you're making me feel hungry i'm trying to resist temptation at the moment as i'm redecorating a room, and i used to love picking plaster from the walls to eat now i'm having to fill in all the holes!

i used to eat all sorts of stuff... favourites were: earth, tree sap and violin rosin, french polish, pencil lead, lead shot , solder, all sorts of chemicals, superglue ,chalk, pretty much anything really... it's a wonder i'm still alive!



mine too

Anubis - I already know what Pica is, I'm just wondering if anyone could describe what it feels like to me.

Rhisiart - I know that, I just take them myself and I've heard that they help with the anxiety and the routine/ritual behaviour (both of which affect me badly), but these things have got worse since I started taking it!

I don't know if the person was referring to the medication to be for AS in general, or for something associated with it. Like perhaps to help with stiming? I am unsure exactly what he or she meant...

I am on a medication which can be used as an anti-psychotic, but is also used to help with anxiety, depression, and compulsions. I was put on this particular medication for my anxiety and depression, even though I had no psychotic symptoms, because I was a self-injurer and skin-picker. It has helped me a lot and I like it because it causes no weight gain

THANK YOU for replying! You have answered my questions, and I now have heard from someone who had Pica! I ate lead shot once, but that was in a bout of insanity (no jokes here).

I got put on an Antipsychotic a while ago; the doctor said it would help me with my AS. It made me really anxious, and I had horrible panic attacks. The last one ended in a suicide attempt.

Last edited by Starbuline on 30 Dec 2006, 4:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

1. i'm sure pica feels like everything you see seems unappetizing but, once you see a clod of dirt...you're heart skips a beat and you must eat dirt. mmm...dirt...i used to eat unedible things
2. antipsychotics normally make me feel worse...

See - antipsychotics are not suited for AS! Mind you, I still want to torture my old psychiatrist and her children, and I still only sleep 5 hours a night and I still have panic attacks and have a VORACIOUS appetite. Its a good thing that I have to gain weight now, but when I stop needing to gain weight, what will I do with my manic appetite? Hopefully when I gain enough weight I will be able to go cross-country/long-dsitance running again, and hence I will be able to burn the excess off.

It depends on how you're defining pica. The technical definition includes "chewing or mouthing" of the inappropriate objects, it doesn't require that they be swallowed. If we're using that definition, I had a definite pica problem which started to taper off around age 11, but is still sort of present.

I've since decided that my constant "mouthing of objects" is stimming though, so I don't think that still counts as pica.

I can only comment on Question 2.

Antipsychotics didn't help me. They made me twitch and feel like a zombie. I didn't want to move at all. Had no effect on my autism as it was all still chaotic in my head.

What exactly is stimming? I have a vague idea...

Antipsychotics... They cure one thing (sometimes), but they ruin another thing.

triple post! dude!

Last edited by tinky on 31 Dec 2006, 5:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Last edited by tinky on 31 Dec 2006, 5:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.