2024-03-13 18:00:46
Nail biting, or onychophagia, is a common condition in which individuals have the habit of biting their nails and surrounding areas. This behavior can develop for a number of reasons and can lead to health problems. Treatment options and strategies, such as therapy, are available to help people stop nail biting.
Onychophagia, or nail biting, describes a type of body-centered repetitive behavior that involves damage to the nails due to habitual biting. Some people may also view nail biting as a motor stereotypy. Nail-focused repetitive behavior describes a behavior a person may engage in to reduce stress. A motor stereotypy describes repetitive movements that do not seem to have a purpose. These behaviors are common in children, but they can continue into adulthood. Nail biting affects 20 to 30% of the general population. However, there is evidence that it is more common in children and young adults, affecting approximately 37% of people aged 3 to 21. Possible complications of nail biting include gastrointestinal infections, skin infections, dental problems, and altered appearance of the nails.
This is why many people may try to manage this behavior. Some people may find that therapy helps them stop biting their nails. Others prefer strategies such as trimming or covering nails or applying bitter-tasting nail polish.
In this article, we discuss treatment options and management strategies for onychophagia.
Strategies to Stop Nail Biting
The following tips can help you stop biting your nails:
– Keep nails short: By trimming their nails regularly, a person can reduce the temptation to bite them.
– Get a regular manicure: As above, this can help reduce the urge to bite your nails. Spending money to keep nails attractive can also serve as a deterrent.
– Cover nails: Covering nails with tape or stickers can prevent biting. You can also wear gloves.
-Apply bitter nail polish: Applying bitter-tasting nail polish can deter people from biting their nails.
-Replace the behavior: When a person feels the urge to bite their nails, they may try to keep their hands busy and away from their mouth by doing another activity, such as playing with a stress ball.
-Identify triggers: Although it can be difficult, a person may be able to notice triggers, such as boredom, stress or anxiety, that lead them to engage in this behavior. Once she identifies the triggers, she can take steps to avoid them.
– Try to stop gradually: Taking a gradual approach, for example starting by no longer biting your thumbnails, then moving on to other nails, can be an effective strategy.
Besides applying bitter nail polish and practicing good nail hygiene, a 2021 article suggests other strategies to help people treat and manage their onychophagia:
Apply olive oil: Putting olive oil on the nails can make the nails softer and less satisfying to bite. This method can be useful for young children, who may be upset by bitter nail polishes.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with functional analysis: This form of CBT involves a trained professional observing the person with onychophagia to help them discover the triggers for nail biting. The professional can then use CBT methods to help the person respond differently to these triggers.
Habit reversal therapy: This therapy involves the person becoming aware of their nail-biting behavior before trying to replace it with another, such as chewing gum.
Why bite nails?
There is no single cause of nail biting, and researchers believe that many different factors can cause a person to develop nail biting. For example, there is evidence that onychophagia can be a response to various stressors, such as school stress or family problems. Onychophagia may also indicate an underlying psychological disorder, such as anxiety.
Risks and side effects of nail biting
One of the common side effects of nail biting is visible deterioration of the nails and surrounding areas. This damage can result in an unattractive cosmetic appearance, which can cause feelings of shame, guilt, or embarrassment in some people. It can also increase the risk of other complications, including:
– gastrointestinal infections due to ingestion of nail pieces
– skin infections, such as paronyxis and onychomycosis
– reabsorption of tooth roots
– dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint due to repeated biting.
Other potential complications are alveolar destruction and intestinal parasitic infections.
Onychophagia is also associated with various psychiatric conditions, although it does not cause them. These conditions include:
– obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
– attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
– oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)
– separation anxiety disorder
– Gilles de la Tourette syndrome.
Nail biting may also be linked to other disorders like trichotillomania, which involves pulling out hair, or excoriation, which involves picking at skin.
When to contact a doctor
People who frequently bite their nails should consider seeing a doctor. Likewise, if a parent or caregiver notices this behavior in a child, they may want to seek the advice of a medical professional.
Identifying and diagnosing this behavior can be difficult. A 2021 study indicates that regarding 64% of doctors see people biting their nails in their office, but almost 61% of them never ask or only ask regarding nails or do not examine nails. This finding suggests that a person may need to bring onychophagia to the attention of their doctor.
However, a doctor can successfully diagnose this behavior following taking a detailed patient history and performing a physical examination of the hands. He can then propose a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach.
Résumé
Onychophagia is the clinical name for nail biting. It describes the chronic, impulsive behavior of damaging nails through habitual biting. This condition can lead to psychological problems, nail damage and various infections.
People can try implementing various treatments or strategies to prevent this behavior. Options include behavioral therapies, keeping nails short, applying bitter-tasting nail polish, and identifying potential triggers.
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Marie Desange
Marie DESANGE is a journalist specializing in the field of health, known for her commitment to accurate and accessible information in this crucial area.
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