Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Carrot addiction

R Kaplan1

  • 1Liaison Clinic, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
|October 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This case report details a rare addiction to carrots, potentially linked to beta-carotene. Withdrawal symptoms were observed, suggesting a possible behavioral or chemical basis for this unusual craving.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Gender-affirming care in South Africa: A cross-sectional survey of transgender and gender-diverse people in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces, South Africa.

South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde·2026
Same author

Disclosure of suicidal ideation and behaviours: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence.

Clinical psychology review·2023
Same author

A feasibility study using time-driven activity-based costing as a management tool for provider cost estimation: lessons from the national TB control program in Zimbabwe in 2018.

BMC health services research·2021
Same author

The effect of increasing state anxiety on autobiographical memory specificity and future thinking.

Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry·2019
Same author

Fasting and post-glucose load measures of insulin resistance and risk of incident atrial fibrillation: The Cardiovascular Health Study.

Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD·2018
Same author

Patients' preferences for adjuvant sorafenib after resection of renal cell carcinoma in the SORCE trial: what makes it worthwhile?

Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology·2017
Same journal

Defining and measuring psychosocial disability in Australia: Assessment of national surveys and administrative datasets.

The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry·2026
Same journal

Academic performance in children of mothers with perinatal depressive disorder.

The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry·2026
Same journal

The Multisensory Hallucinations Schedule to assess hallucinations across multiple sensory modalities in psychosis: A pilot validation study.

The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry·2026
Same journal

Post-traumatic stress disorder in Australia: Results from the 2020-2022 National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing.

The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry·2026
Same journal

People with borderline personality disorder experiences of mental health services in an Australian context: Associated anxiety and structural stigma.

The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry·2026
Same journal

Mobilising community-managed organisations: A call to action to confront physical health inequities in people living with complex mental health challenges.

The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry·2026
See all related articles

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Nutritional Psychiatry

Background:

  • Presents a case of compulsive carrot eating in a 49-year-old woman experiencing stress and depressive illness.
  • Highlights the patient's perception of distinct craving and withdrawal symptoms compared to smoking.

Observation:

  • Excessive carrot consumption occurred during a period of significant life stress.
  • The patient's carrot intake was monitored via self-recording.

Findings:

  • Compulsive carrot eating is a rare condition with limited documentation.
  • Withdrawal symptoms included nervousness, craving, insomnia, waterbrash, and irritability.
  • The addiction is hypothesized to be related to beta-carotene, the compound abundant in carrots.

Implications:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Explores whether carrot eating serves as a behavioral substitute for smoking or if beta-carotene has addictive properties.
  • Suggests that studying this addiction may offer insights into the mechanisms of other addictions, including smoking cessation.