How Can We Combat These Symptoms
To begin with, and without any doubt, we must go to mental health professionals such as psychologists and our family doctor who may or may not refer us to a psychiatrist. These professionals will be able to give us an appropriate treatment to our case and with the psychologist we will begin a therapy in which we will acquire tools to control our anxiety and keep it well at bay.
In addition to this, regular exercise has been found to help us reduce anxiety symptoms by allowing us to focus on something other than our discomfort, and it also releases endorphins.
Finally, we must also control what our habits are. If we suffer from an anxiety disorder, drinking too much coffee or exciting products can aggravate the symptoms. The same goes for alcohol and tobacco. In addition, we must try to rest correctly since fatigue will make the effects of anxiety on our body seem even worse.
Images | Unsplash, Pixabay In Engadget Science | Social anxiety is born from the fear of making mistakes In Engadget Science | How to train your brain to avoid panic attacks and depression?
What Nail Biting Says About Your Personality
While most people assume nail biting has to do with nerves or anxiety, one study is linking this bad habit to a surprising personality trait. According to a study published in the March 2015 issue of Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, nail biters are more likely to be perfectionists.
Personal Insecurities And Self
We can all be a little insecure at times or have been at times. Doubting yourself is almost part of being human and can sometimes even be beneficial. However, when this becomes a constant voice questioning everything you do , the consequences of your actions and your worth as a person, it is possible that we are dealing with a symptom of anxiety .
This situation can generate tremendous discomfort, coming to believe that our doubts are justified. In addition, this can lead to problems and insecurity when interacting with other people. Facing any type of social interaction can be extremely distressing for people who suffer from anxiety as they will continually question what others think about him, whether or not he is making a fool of himself or thinking that he is less valuable than others.
Working on our self-esteem and our need to control everything that surrounds us, what we do and what others think of us is essential when it comes to putting a stop to these situations. For this, going to therapy can be tremendously useful.
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Constant And Irrational Fears
People who suffer from an anxiety disorder often have sudden, disproportionate and irrational fearsthat in some cases they had never presented before . In my case, I was afraid of dying or that one of my loved ones would. This implied that she was irrationally afraid of having an accident, falling ill suddenly, or even being mugged.
The irrationality of these fears makes it more difficult to curb them. This type of fear becomes disproportionate in relation to the real danger that we suffer and can also paralyze us and end up causing some isolation or even inability to carry out previously habitual activities.
One of the techniques to curb these types of thoughts and fears is to try to cut and refute them with rational and fact-based arguments . Sometimes the simple thought of “I have no rational or objective reason to believe that is going to happen” can be enough to start curbing these irrational fears.
/4when Should Parents Worry And What Should They Do
In certain rare cases, nail biting can be associated with excessive stress and anxiety. Continuous biting of the nails can sometimes lead to sore fingernails, which could be accompanied with bleeding. If you notice a sudden change in your childs behaviour along with a sudden and escalating nail-biting habit, then make sure you consult a doctor.
Additionally, there are a few things parents should keep in mind while taking measures to stop kids from nail-biting.
Do not nag or punish them for biting their nails. Instead, help them with the right measures.
Address your childs anxiety triggers, if any.
Communicate with your child and discuss possible ways to break unhealthy habits.
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What Are The Side Effects Of Nail
Possible physical side effects of nail-biting include damaged or disfigured nails and skin, skin infections, fungal infections, and mouth pain or tooth damage. Individuals who swallow the bitten nails may be at risk for stomach or intestinal infections as well. Because nails and fingers often carry bacteria or viruses, biting them may transmit pathogens into the body, potentially increasing the risk of internal infections or gastrointestinal problems.
Psychology Of Nail Biting
Many people bite their nails at some point, especially as children. Its a type of body-focused repetitive behavior that goes by the clinical name of onychophagia.
Theres a spectrum of nail biting. It can range from an occasional benign behavior to a deeply ingrained self-mutilative behavior.
Many people who begin biting their nails as children eventually outgrow the habit. For others, it becomes a lifelong habit that can be extremely difficult to quit.
Lets take a closer look at why people bite their nails, how to change the behavior, and when its time to see a doctor.
Nail biting typically begins in childhood and may accelerate during adolescence. Its not always clear why someone develops this particular habit, but once it starts, it can be difficult to manage.
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Trim Your Nails Regularly
Itâs impossible to prevent your nails from growing. In fact, long nails are a source of pride for most cosmetic fanatics. But if your long nails only tempt you to bite them, then theyâre more of a liability than an asset and should be trimmed. As you trim your nails, pay particular attention to hangnails and ragged edges, as these may tempt you to bite the nails even after trimming them.
Is Eating Your Own Skin Cannibalism
Some people will engage in self-cannibalism as an extreme form of body modification, for example ingesting their own blood or skin. Others will drink their own blood, a practice called autovampirism, but sucking blood from wounds is generally not considered cannibalism. Placentophagy may be a form of self-cannibalism.
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Other Symptoms Of Anxiety
Picking and biting your nails arent the only symptoms of anxiety. Other indicators of anxiety can include severe symptoms that interfere with your everyday life for
Body-focused repetitive behaviors like nail biting and picking may also be symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder . When you engage in these behaviors, you gain pleasure or relief, which then continues the cycle. Research also shows that nail tics may relieve tension.
As a subtype of anxiety, OCD is known for creating a cycle of obsessions and compulsions to help cope with unwanted thoughts and feelings. Its also possible to have OCD along with generalized anxiety disorder .
Other related mental health disorders with nail picking behaviors include:
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- oppositional defiant disorder
How To Stop Biting Nails Anxiety
A: Doctors classify chronic nail biting as a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder since the person has difficulty stopping. People often want to stop and make multiple attempts to quit without success. People with onychophagia cannot stop the behavior on their own, so its not effective to tell a loved one to stop.
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Q: When Is Nail Biting A Problem That Needs Medical Attention
A: If nail biting causes physical harm and psychological distress, then professional treatment is necessary. Usually, the person knows the behavior is problematic, but they cant control it on their own. It is important to seek help if the behavior is affecting mental and physical health:
- Damage to the nail, cuticle or surrounding skin.
- Psychological damage .
- Relationship problems.
Treatment Is Biting The Skin Around Your Nails A Sign Of Anxiety
In some cases, nail picking is the result of a nervous habit. You may be able to break this habit once youve identified your triggers. For example, do you notice that you pick your nails in times of stress? Or if youre hungry or bored? Its important to shift your focus toward those concerns instead.
However, this can be difficult in the case of an underlying mental health condition. If you suspect your nail picking habits are related to anxiety or OCD, then you may benefit from behavioral treatments from a mental health professional.
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Is Nail Biting And Anxiety Even Related
Nail biting can help us deal with anxiety and perhaps reduce the tension and stress that we feel. But if nail biting turns into a full blown habit that we do every time we feel anxious or bored, angry, hungry, etc then all weve done is developed a new habit to quit on top of trying to deal with our anxiety.
Its also possible that for many nail biters, nail biting and picking is just the excuse used to deal with anxiety. Or boredom. Or hunger. And so on. For me, it took me years to realize that many times if not most of the time I bit and picked my nails, I was just doing it for something to do. It kept my hands busy, thats all.
I didnt actually need to be anxious or bored or anything else. Once I started actually paying close attention to my nail biting habits, I recognized that while there were times I was stressed or anxious and bit my nails, my reason for doing so was generally something else. I just felt like biting and picking my nails.
If you think anxiety is a problem for you, speak with your doctor. It might be something that a professional can help with.
Q: Whats Behind Chewed
A: For most people, nail biting is an occasional thing. When people cant stop the behavior on their own, doctors consider it a type of body-focused repetitive behavior . We refer to chronic nail biting as onychophagia and we dont fully understand the cause . We do know that people with these conditions often have onychophagia as well:
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder : Hyperactivity and impulsiveness, plus difficulty paying attention.
- Oppositional defiant disorder: Defiance and disobedience toward people of authority.
- Excessive anxiety when separated from particular people or pets.
- Tourette syndrome: Involuntary movements and sounds.
- Other BFRBs: Chronic skin picking, hair pulling, cheek biting and grinding teeth.
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What To Do Instead Of Biting Nails
Weve already established that nail-biting is an unhealthy habit and it can lead to many more serious health issues. So, once youve decided to get rid of your nail-biting habit you may find yourself wondering what to do instead. Weve compiled a few tips to help you fight the biting urges that are bound to happen.
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Replace the Habit
Its always a good idea to replace one habit with another, healthier one. So instead of biting your nails, try chewing gum, eating healthy snacks, or keeping your hands busy with a stress ball or a fidget spinner.
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Make Gradual Changes
One of the best tips to stop biting nails is to do it gradually. You can set a goal to stop biting just your thumbnails, then you can extend the ban to your pinky nails. If you say a finger is off-limits, dont nibble on it. Once youll see the change, itll be easier to stop altogether.
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Try a Mouthguard
If youre bad at fighting your urges, you can wear a mouthguard that will prevent you from using your teeth, thus making it impossible to bite your nails.
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Experiment With Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is one of the useful tricks to stop biting nails, as it can be very helpful if you want to calm down and relax. You can get one of the amazing aromatherapy diffusers to which you can add essential oils, or you can always light an aromatherapy candle. Whatever you choose to do, youll find yourself feeling better and calmer.
Coat Nails With Bitter Polish
There are plenty of people out there who struggle with nail biting. Thats why there are nail polishes designed to help you stop. They wont hurt you if you do put your nails in your mouth, but the bitter taste may give you second thoughts.
You can buy them wherever you buy nail polish, or you can speak with a manicurist or dermatologist for more ideas along this line.
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What Psychosocial And/or Physical Problems Does Onychophagia Cause
Onychophagia can cause distress, emotional tension or social embarrassment. It is associated with other habit disorders, including trichotillomania and compulsive skin picking.
While it does not cause them, onychophagia is associated with a variety of psychiatric disorders, including:
- Obsessivecompulsive disorder
It is also important to note that nail biting can also cause physical problems, including:
- Stomach infections resulting from the swallowing the bitten nails
- Fungal infections of the nail plate and surrounding skin
- Teeth root resorption
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Dermelect Resist Nail Bite Inhibitor + Restorative Treatment
If youve ever attempted to break the habit before, youre likely already familiar with anti-nail-biting polishes formulated to have an extra unpleasant, bitter flavor to deter you from chomping down on your nails. But trust me, Dermelects multi-purpose RESIST Nail Biting Inhibitor is an absolute game-changer that will not only help you stop biting your nails, but also repair and restore the health of them in the process.
Its infused with Bittrex , but also damage-repairing peptides, nourishing vitamin E, and sunflowers to help restore balanced hydration levels. Unlike other nail-biting polishes on the market, RESISTs is formated with a just right amount of its primary active ingredient and helps bring your stubby nails back to life with its additional bonus ingredients. Even if you ~dont~ bite your nails, this formula is also great for repairing damage from acrylics or helping to strengthen naturally weak nails.
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Nail Biting May Arise From Perfectionism
Far more than a nervous habit, body-focused repetitive behaviors may be a response to boredom and frustration
Many people think of nail biting as a nervous habit, but the driving force may not be anxiety. Mounting evidence shows that people who compulsively bite their nails, pick their skin or pull their hair are often perfectionists, and their actions may help soothe boredom, irritation and dissatisfaction.
As many as one in 20 people suffer from body-focused repetitive disorders, engaging in behaviors such as biting their nails or plucking out hair until they damage their appearance or cause themselves pain. These disorders are related to tic disorders and, more distantly, obsessive-compulsive disorder. As such, the repetitive behavior is extremely difficult to quityet many people continue to think they simply have a nervous habit and are too weak-willed to overcome it.
A new study adds evidence to a theory that perfectionism rather than anxiety is at the root of these behaviors. The researchers first surveyed 48 participants, half of whom had these disorders and half of whom did not, on their organizational behavior and ability to regulate their emotions. Those with the disorders scored as organizational perfectionists, indicating a tendency to overplan, overwork themselves and get frustrated quickly without high levels of activity.
This article was originally published with the title “Nail Biting May Arise from Perfectionism” in SA Mind 26, 4, 15
How Common Is Nail Biting
Nail-biting is thought to be the most common of the body-focused repetitive behaviors. The most commonly cited research studies estimate that 20 to 30 percent of the population bite their nails. Children and adolescents are most prone to nail-biting, with some estimates suggesting that almost 40 percent of children and nearly half of teenagers bite their nails.
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Assessing The Impact Of Onychophagia
While there is no assessment tool specific to onychophagia itself, some research has centred on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. This mental health tool is able to assess a variety of emotional and behaviour problems, including inattention and hyperactive behaviour, emotional symptoms, conduct problems, and prosocial behaviour. When dealing with onychophagia, it can be useful to consider the issues covered in this questionnaire as a way to look for relationships/associations that may influence the individuals nail-biting habit.
Childhood History Or Childhood Trauma
The behavior of nail-biting is normally associated with anxiety, mental pressure, and tension, and doing it relieves some of the stress that you feel in your mind. Sometimes nail-biting can originate in your childhood when perhaps you used to bite your nails in order to cope with the stress and pressure at your home or school. Because you were a child, and you didnt really have a lot of power to handle the negative experiences coming your way, so biting your nails served as a coping mechanism.
The habit of biting nails usually starts at the age of 5 or 6 years, and boys are more likely to have this habit than girls. As children gradually step into adulthood and mature as people, they find it hard to let go of this habit, no matter how hard they may try. The shadows of their childhood experiences, stress, trauma, and anxiety stay with them well into their adulthood and make it harder for them to let go of this compulsive habit.
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