[Pagophagia in a Female with Recurrent Depressive Disorder:A Case Report with Review of Literature]
- PMID: 30215844
[Pagophagia in a Female with Recurrent Depressive Disorder:A Case Report with Review of Literature]
Abstract
"Pica" is the term used to describe craving for non-food and nonnutritive items like dirt, chalk, or paper. Pagophagia (compulsive ice chewing) is a particular form of pica that is characterized by ingestion of ice, freezer frost, or iced drinks. It is usually associated with iron deficiency anemia or mental abnormalities like intellectual disabilities, autism, etc. Very few case reports have reported association of eating ice cubes with compulsive behavior or depressive disorders. In this case report, we present the association of pagophagia with sadness in a patient with recurrent depressive disorder. A 44-year-old female suffering from depressive disorder since the age of 33 years presented with symptoms of an intense desire to eat ice cubes that she was unable to resist and would feel better only after consumption of ice cubes or iced drinks. Initially she would consume about 250-500 g of ice cubes per day, but gradually the quantity of consumption of ice increased to about 10-12 kg of ice cubes per day. These symptoms were related to low mood and stress. The preoccupation with consumption of ice was associated with significant psychosocial dysfunction and interpersona problems with the spouse. She was managed with venlafaxine 187.5 mg/day and cognitive behavior psychotherapy (identifying her cognitive errors, generating alternative thoughts, problem solving, activity scheduling and mastery, and pleasure technique) with which her depressive symptoms improved and her pagophagia reduced significantly but did not subside completely. She learned to use alternative coping mechanisms to deal with her psychosocial stressors.
Similar articles
-
Pica/Pagophagia-Associated Hyponatremia: Patient Presenting With Seizure.Cureus. 2020 Jul 21;12(7):e9330. doi: 10.7759/cureus.9330. Cureus. 2020. PMID: 32742885 Free PMC article.
-
[Rapid regression of prolonged pagophagia after treatment of iron deficiency].Presse Med. 2001 Feb 24;30(7):321-3. Presse Med. 2001. PMID: 11262806 French.
-
[Anemia caused by iron deficiency and pagophagia. Apropos of a case].Rev Med Interne. 1990 May-Jun;11(3):236-8. Rev Med Interne. 1990. PMID: 2096423 Review. French.
-
Ask about ice, then consider iron.J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2016 Feb;28(2):116-20. doi: 10.1002/2327-6924.12268. Epub 2015 May 5. J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2016. PMID: 25943566 Free PMC article.
-
Pagophagia, or compulsive ice consumption: a historical perspective.Psychol Med. 1992 Aug;22(3):561-71. doi: 10.1017/s0033291700038022. Psychol Med. 1992. PMID: 1410082 Review.
Cited by
-
Pica/Pagophagia-Associated Hyponatremia: Patient Presenting With Seizure.Cureus. 2020 Jul 21;12(7):e9330. doi: 10.7759/cureus.9330. Cureus. 2020. PMID: 32742885 Free PMC article.
-
Iron Deficiency-Induced Changes in the Hippocampus, Corpus Striatum, and Monoamines Levels That Lead to Anxiety, Depression, Sleep Disorders, and Psychotic Disorders.Cureus. 2021 Sep 20;13(9):e18138. doi: 10.7759/cureus.18138. eCollection 2021 Sep. Cureus. 2021. PMID: 34692346 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Cautopyreiophagia as a Rare Variant of PICA in a Female Adolescent: A Case Report.Indian J Psychol Med. 2021 Mar;43(2):180-181. doi: 10.1177/0253717620973389. Epub 2020 Dec 17. Indian J Psychol Med. 2021. PMID: 34376898 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
-
A complicated case of bowel obstruction with sepsis and methamphetamine toxicity in a child with pica.Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2019 Dec;15(4):598-602. doi: 10.1007/s12024-019-00143-0. Epub 2019 Aug 23. Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2019. PMID: 31444700
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources