Wikipedia states that there is “scant research” “which suggests that the disorder is caused by mineral deficiency in many cases”, and also lists other possible causes such as OCD. So Pica may, or may not, be mostly related to deficiencies. We also know that the rate of incidence of Pica is low in general, i.e. < 5% of people probably have it, so conclusions drawn about people who have Pica may not generalize well. The study referenced in the “scant research” sentence states:
Pica is probably a behavior pattern driven by multiple factors. Some recent evidence supports including pica with the obsessive-compulsive spectrum of disorders. Many different treatment regimens have been described, with variable responses. It is important to be aware of this common, but commonly missed, condition.
So we should be clear that (a) little research has been done (b) Pica may be caused by OCD, or by mineral deficiencies.
Then we have to consider the analogy between Pica and Akrasia; the body displays behavior X in situation T, maybe it also displays it in situation S? The prior on such analogies being valid is surely low, if nothing else because there are multiple different analogies that can be made which give differing conclusions.
For example, we could use obesity as an analogy for akrasia, and claim that maybe the problem is that you are doing too much (in analogy with obesity being because you eat too much). Obesity is much more common than pica, and there is a lot more research on it. Why not follow this advice instead?
The post caches out as “to fight akrasia, you might need to perform some random activity such as composing a symphony that you have never done before.”, which is actually of little help for any individual here, because the list of activities that they might be “deficient” in is endless.
Wikipedia states that there is “scant research” “which suggests that the disorder is caused by mineral deficiency in many cases”, and also lists other possible causes such as OCD. So Pica may, or may not, be mostly related to deficiencies. We also know that the rate of incidence of Pica is low in general, i.e. < 5% of people probably have it, so conclusions drawn about people who have Pica may not generalize well. The study referenced in the “scant research” sentence states:
So we should be clear that (a) little research has been done (b) Pica may be caused by OCD, or by mineral deficiencies.
Then we have to consider the analogy between Pica and Akrasia; the body displays behavior X in situation T, maybe it also displays it in situation S? The prior on such analogies being valid is surely low, if nothing else because there are multiple different analogies that can be made which give differing conclusions.
For example, we could use obesity as an analogy for akrasia, and claim that maybe the problem is that you are doing too much (in analogy with obesity being because you eat too much). Obesity is much more common than pica, and there is a lot more research on it. Why not follow this advice instead?
The post caches out as “to fight akrasia, you might need to perform some random activity such as composing a symphony that you have never done before.”, which is actually of little help for any individual here, because the list of activities that they might be “deficient” in is endless.