Industrial Psychiatry Journal (Jan 2014)

An unusual case of xylophagia (paper-eating)

  • Mahesh Gowda,
  • Bhavin M Patel,
  • S Preeti,
  • M Chandrasekar

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/0972-6748.144972
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 23, no. 1
pp. 65 – 67

Abstract

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Xylophagia is a condition involving the consumption of paper and form of eating disorder known as pica. Pica is an unusual craving for ingestion of either edible or inedible substances. Inhalants are volatile substances, which produce chemical vapors that can be inhaled to induce a psycho-active or mind altering effect. Although, pica is not linked to solvent abuse, here we report an adolescent case of paper-eating with solvent dependence.

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