title: ['My daughter eats my mattress!'--a patient with pica].
abstract: For the third time a 17-year-old adolescent is presented to a child and adolescent ambulatory mental health clinic, because of eating foam rubber. In this case study pica is being discussed and its possible connection with a somatic disease (sickle cell anaemia). The importance of alertness to unknown symptoms in diagnosing is being underlined, as well as the value of searching for a biological explanation in order to prevent interpreting all strange behaviour as psychosocial of origin.
authors.affiliation: henkjan.kolthof@mentrum.nl
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kolthof
authors.forename: E A F
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: van Weel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007374:Interior Design and Furnishings; D010842:Pica / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D012408:Rubber
chemical_list: D012408:Rubber