Eating soap ? Obsession?

Kudos for thinking about how your behavior might affect your long-term health and writing in to ask about it! What you describe may be considered behavior associated with pica, which is considered a craving to eat non-nutritive, non-food items. The research is unclear as to why some people exhibit pica behavior, but there are some potential correlations (read on for more). Depending on the substance a person eats, pica behavior can pose some health risks ? some of which are quite serious. Ingesting certain harmful substances or some substances in large amounts may lead to medical problems, such as poisoning. There?s also a risk of infection resulting from ingesting some substances (such as soil), as well as a risk of stomachrelated issues. With that in mind, if you start to experience any negative symptoms that may be associated with eating soap (more on this later), it?s wise to speak with a health care provider. If you?re concerned about your behavior, you may ask yourself if stress is the main reason ? and, if so, if there are some other strategies you might use to manage this stress.