Exam results are going to be announced or your boss has suddenly called you for a serious meeting, you’re a nervous wreck! What do you do? Can’t help but relentlessly chew your nails?
Onychophagia or nail biting is a common oral compulsive habit in children and adults. Compulsive nail biting is repetitive behavior that results in the destruction of one's own fingernails and often the skin around the nails and cuticles. It is often observed in people suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder. It is considered as stress busting and hence adopted during times of stress.
It can become quite serious, as people who suffer from compulsive nail-biting may experience bleeding, bruises, infections, or even permanent damage to the fingers. These behaviors are classified by psychiatrists as a type of impulse control disorder. It is characterized by people especially when anxious, nervous, stressed, hungry or bored.
Nail biting can also be a sign of other emotional or mental disorders. In such circumstances people are not aware of the fact that they are biting their nails. It becomes such an unconscious habit that takes a lot of will to get rid of. Nail-biting may also occur with other body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRB) such as hair-pulling or skin-picking.
Why do people resort to nail biting?
A research project shows that nail biting is a very common habit among ages 10 to 18 and in some cases also from 18 to 22. Only a small number of adults bite their nails as they usually overcome this habit by themselves.
The cause is probably a combination of biological and environmental factors or out-of-control grooming mechanism in the brain. There are several reasons why nail-biters continue their behaviors, and it can be more than just a matter of will-power or habit.
- Stressed - When stressed, people resort to this habit to sooth themselves. It has a calming effect and reduces anxiety. The amount of nail biting may increase during increased stressful times.
- Bored – When bored or inactive, people resort to nail biting for some stimulation of the nervous system. This unconscious habit keeps them focused and alert.
Why you need to get rid of the habit?
Nail biting results in dirty looking nails, not to mention pain at the position where the skin meets the nail, sore fingers, bleeding cuticles and infections of the nails and mouth. If the habit lasts for a long time, it also causes deformation of nail’s growth.
- Oral\ stomach Infections - People who bite their nails hardly wash their hands before biting. Hence, there is a high probability of getting bacteria and other harmful microbes inside the mouth. These bacteria when swallowed can cause diarrhea and also lead to stomach infections and chronic infection to the mouth, lips or gums.
- Dental Problems - Nails are hard and difficult to chew. If you get into the habit of biting your nails, it is possible to damage your teeth, particularly your incisors. This habit may even affect your teeth and their appearance. Aside from having not-so-pretty hands, you could also have cracked and broken front teeth.
- Nail Infections - Nail biting can cause your nails and nail beds to weaken. Bacteria and fungi could enter these small cracks in your nails made by persistent biting. Although some types of nail infections are easy to manage, others like nail fungus can be very hard to get rid of. Not to mention unhygienic considering the number of activities for which we use our hands.
- Occupied Hands - If your hand is always in your mouth, it would be difficult to perform tasks properly. In extreme cases, nail biting can really prevent a person from performing even ordinary tasks given to him because of compulsive need to bite nails.
How can I stop myself?
There are many methods that can be used to prevent compulsive nail biting:
- Nail polish - One of the most common and cheap methods of treatment is application of nail polish. This develops a bitter taste on the surface of nails and also makes them hard, so when the nails come in contact with mouth, children find it bitter and hard to bite thereby discouraging the habit.
- Mouth pieces\gloves – Use of mouth pieces help in preventing biting nails. Also wearing gloves or stickers can help to remind you not to bite your nails.
- Psycho therapies – Most causes for this compulsion and need to be treated psychologically.
- Self monitoring – Many-a-times nail-biters do the act unconsciously and hence they need to become more conscious of the fact. The very act of recording the behavior can also interrupt the process and reduce the picking.
- Medication - The medications mainly used to treat nail-biting are the same group as those used for OCD, including antidepressants. Drugs that help nail-biting may take several weeks before they start working. They also may not work perfectly. Medication should never be considered an end in itself, but a tool to help with therapy.
- Behavioral therapies – Modifying behavior using therapies like HRT and stimulus control.
i. Habit reversal Training (HRT): HRT seeks to "unlearn" the habit of nail biting and possibly replace it with a more constructive habit and has shown its effectiveness both in children as well as adults.
ii. Stimulus control: Stimulus control therapy is used to both identify and then eliminate the stimulus that frequently triggers biting urges to nail bite. They could be emotions or situations which are identified by the therapist.
- Trimmed\well kept nails – Trimmed, polished (clear polish for men) and well kept nails can encourage keeping nails attractive and discourages the nail biting habit.
- Natural remedies - Some people benefit from the B-vitamin inositol, which seems to reduce the urge to pull or pick. It is broken down by the body into neurotransmitters that enhance the activity of serotonin, which is a brain transmitter that may be implicated in OCD (Obsessive Compulsive disorders) and related disorders.
Nail biting could be a psychological disorder or simply a bad habit dragged on for too long. The main key to rid you of the habit is to become conscious of it and willingly decide to simply STOP. If you find that none of the common therapies help, you might need to visit a therapist who can find the cause for your problem and provide a solution. Either way the sooner you put this unhygienic habit behind you the better. It is definitely not attractive to say “hello” to someone whilst chewing your nails!!
