BTSC Staff Nurse 1 August-2025
Mental Health Nursing
Easy
An eating disorder, defined as the persistent ingestion of non-nutritive substances for at least one month, is called:
Appeared in: BTSC Staff Nurse 1 August-2025
Explanation
- Pica is an eating disorder defined by the persistent consumption of non-nutritive, non-food substances for at least one month.
- This behavior is considered developmentally inappropriate and is not part of a culturally sanctioned practice.
- Commonly ingested items include substances like paint, plaster, string, hair, soil, and paper.
- The diagnosis is typically considered in individuals over the age of 2, to distinguish it from normal mouthing behaviors in infants.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option B: Anemia is a blood disorder characterized by a deficiency in red blood cells or hemoglobin. It is not an eating disorder.
- Option C: Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by severe food restriction, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image. It does not involve eating non-food substances.
- Option D: Bulimia nervosa involves a cycle of binge eating (consuming large amounts of food) followed by compensatory behaviors like self-induced vomiting or laxative abuse. It is not characterized by eating non-food items.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Definition and identification of Pica as an eating disorder as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- Nurses play a critical role in identifying pica, especially in high-risk groups like children, pregnant women, and individuals with developmental disabilities.
- A key nursing intervention is to assess for the specific substance ingested to anticipate and monitor for potential complications like lead poisoning, parasitic infections, or gastrointestinal obstruction.
- Management involves a multidisciplinary approach, including nutritional counseling to address deficiencies (like iron or zinc) and behavioral therapies to modify the eating behavior.
How to Approach the Question
- First, break down the question stem to identify the core definition provided: 'persistent ingestion of non-nutritive substances'.
- Focus on the key terms: 'non-nutritive' (not food) and 'persistent ingestion' (a pattern of eating).
- Next, evaluate each option against this definition.
- Anemia is a blood condition, not a behavioral eating disorder. Eliminate this option.
- Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are disorders related to the quantity of food consumed and weight control, not the consumption of non-food items. Eliminate these options.
- Pica is the specific medical term for eating non-food substances, which directly matches the question's definition. This is the correct answer.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Definition and identification of Pica as an eating disorder.
- Stem keywords: eating disorder, persistent ingestion, non-nutritive substances, one month
- Lead-in keywords: is called
Question ID
QbP2pMS4waqdKHzGzK18yH
Reference Book
E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 517-519
E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) pp. 6918-6920, 6931-6933
Practise the full BTSC Staff Nurse 1 August-2025
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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