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Nail Biting: How I Cope with the Realities of the World

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Words: 410 |

Published: Jul 18, 2018

Words: 410 | Pages: 1 | 3 min read

Perfection. Boredom. Anxiety. There is probably a subconscious reason for my nail biting, but the origin of this habit has been lost with the years of my childhood. Regardless, it reflects my consistency as a person and my devotion to familiarity. My gnawed fingers do not consume me; rather, I consume the realities of the world through my fingers.

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Perfection is my strife as an overscheduled student; I have but little time to finish my homework and even less to express myself creatively. With every assignment, I subconsciously choose a finger to victimize and work diligently on the task at hand. When I read an original poem of mine in the creative writing club, however, I refrain from my nasty habit and focus solely on the words flowing through my work. I do not stop because I am reading aloud, but rather because I am attempting to achieve perfection. Biting exercises my conscience by testing my ability to control the habit.

Boredom is not rare at the gas station where I work, but it induces my pattern of finger alienation. In between stocking soft drinks, running the register, and serving customers, I have stretches of empty time that sometimes overcome my nail preservation plan. When the hours stretch out ceaselessly before me, my fingers become instruments of distraction. Entertainment forms at my fingertips, preventing the monotony from developing into agitation.

Anxiety never sweats through my pores, but rather through my habits and small tendencies. I apply an infamous amount of effort in my life that forces me to chew. Before an audition for a school play or musical, I examine my competition and prepare myself for what lies on stage. This experience, which requires great patience and fortitude, sometimes overwhelms me as I stride to center stage for the final judgment. Soon after, I yield the angst to the tips of my fingers as I bite the weak, soft nails. They offer a small sanctuary for my worries, allowing no stress to leave with biter’s remorse.

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Perfection, boredom, and anxiety are not the causes of my biting. Rather, they are the natural motives that lead me to rely on such a disgusting habit. But in this practice, I discover what my limits are, I find amusement in small details, and I regain peace in the face of difficulties. Just as a cat uses a scratching post, I use my fingers; the more they are utilized, the more tension is alleviated.

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Nail Biting: Mental Disorder Or Just A Bad Habit?

Amy Standen

Pathological nail biting may be a form of grooming on steroids, but it also makes the biter feel good, unlike fear-driven OCD. Andrea Kissack for KQED hide caption

Pathological nail biting may be a form of grooming on steroids, but it also makes the biter feel good, unlike fear-driven OCD.

Do you bite your nails? For 30 years, I did. We nail biters can be "pathological groomers" — people for whom normal grooming behaviors, like skin picking or hair pulling, have become virtually uncontrollable.

But psychiatry is changing the way it thinks about pathological grooming, and these changes will be reflected in the American Psychiatric Association's DSM , short for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . A new version is coming out early next year, and it puts pathological grooming in the same category as another disorder you've probably heard of: obsessive compulsive disorder , or OCD.

This rethinking gives pathological groomers some new ways to think about those behaviors.

I can tell you the exact moment I became a nail biter. I was 6 years old, watching my mom get dressed for work. She paused to mull something over, chewing on a nail. My reaction: "How cool! How grown-up! I think I'll try it."

I never stopped. It was embarrassing — like wearing your neuroses on your sleeve. At parties, I learned to wrap my fingers all the way around my wine glass, so that my nails faced my chest. I hated filling out forms in public places.

Recently, something happened that made me finally quit biting my nails. I'll get to that in a bit. But I was feeling quite pleased with myself when I showed them to Carol Mathews , a psychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco. "Your cuticles are pushed back. It's not bad. Looks like you're a recovered nail biter is what I'd say," she pointed out.

Mathews specializes in pathological grooming — a group of behaviors that includes nail biting, hair pulling, called trichotillomania , and skin picking, known as dermatillomania .

"They are behaviors that stem from normal grooming — the kind of thing that most animals do and is evolutionarily adaptive, right?" says Mathews.

But in pathological groomers, those behaviors go haywire. Instead of being triggered by, say, a hangnail, the pathological nail biter is triggered by driving, reading or feeling stressed out. "After a while, the behavior becomes untriggered," says Mathews. "It becomes just an automatic behavior that has no relationship to external stimuli at all."

Until recently, the DSM treated pathological grooming a bit like an afterthought and put it in a catch-all category called "not otherwise classified." But the new DSM proposes to lump together pathological groomers and those with mental disorders like OCD. That includes people who wash their hands compulsively or have to line up their shoes a certain way.

These behaviors have a lot in common. In both cases, it's taking a behavior that's normal and healthy and putting it into overdrive, doing it to the point of being excessive. But in at least one way, OCD and pathological grooming are also very different.

"In OCD, the compulsion is really unwanted," says Mathews. People with OCD don't want to be washing their hands or checking the stove over and over again. There is no fun in it. There's fear — fear that if they don't do something, something else that's very bad will happen to them.

But from her pathological grooming patients, Mathews hears a very different story: They enjoy it. "It's rewarding. It feels good. When you get the right nail, it feels good. It's kind of a funny sense of reward, but it's a reward," she says.

I can relate to that. And in my household, I'm not the only one. My daughter Cora is 3, and she's why I decided to quit. I didn't want Cora to learn to bite from me, the same way I learned from my mom. So for three months, I wore acrylic fingernails and spent many long hours at the manicurist maintaining them.

And it worked. I lost the urge. But apparently, it was too late.

"I don't want to put my fingers in my mouth. I just [do] it even though I don't want to," Cora explained to me. But was she just mimicking me, or was there something else going on — something deep and strong enough to make nail biters out of at least four generations of women in my family, including my grandmother?

Francis Lee and his colleagues at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York found that mice with a certain mutation obsessively groomed themselves.

That's where Francis Lee , a psychiatrist and neuroscientist at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, comes in. A few years ago, a colleague came to Lee with a mystery: A mouse — bred with a specific gene mutation — was behaving very oddly. "I was dumbstruck," recalls Lee. "It was just repetitively moving its front paws over its eyes and ears," — a behavior he instantly recognized from studying people.

Mice bred with this mutation groom so much, they give themselves bald spots. "They've removed the hair around their eyes, they actually look like they have little white rings around their eyes," says Lee.

In these mice, the genome is destiny. Every mouse that has this particular mutation — even if it's separated from its mother early on — eventually will become a pathological groomer. And the grooming isn't all. Lee says these are some of the most anxious mice he's ever seen. He even said to his colleague at the time, "That is one crazy mouse."

People, of course, are a lot more complicated. There are some genetic mutations that seem to crop up in people with OCD and in people who groom pathologically. But just because you have the mutation doesn't mean you get the behavior.

In fact, with OCD, it's more likely you won't, says Mathews. "As genetically determined as OCD is, the risk to a family member for someone who has OCD is only 20 percent. So it's 80 percent chance of not getting it," she says.

Which brings me back to my own crazy mouse.

As a parent, there are ways I could lower the chances that Cora will grow into a biter. When Mathews works with young kids, she does things like put Band-Aids on their fingers to help them notice when they're biting or pulling. Then she sets up reward systems to try to steer them away from the behavior.

I'd already started to do a clumsier version of this, gently batting Cora's hand away from her mouth whenever she started to bite. But it had come at a price, one I wasn't entirely comfortable with. I had to decide what was worse: making Cora feel bad about herself for something she couldn't help, or just letting her grow into a nail biter, which, while certainly not the worst thing in the world, had given me some grief.

Tracy Foose , a psychiatrist in San Francisco who specializes in anxiety disorders, seemed to offer a third option. She bites her nails, and, like me, she has a 3-year-old daughter. Foose has a whole different take on it — probably a much better one. Nail biting is just part of who she is. She's even proud of it. "You know, my mom bites her nails. She was an artist. So, I think I associate it with being cool and being older and working on something important," she says.

During her residency, Foose met a patient at the ER one night. "A lovely, middle-aged mother of several kids who came in and looked scared out of her wits," she recalls. This woman had become fixated on a perceived blemish on her face. "She had picked at her cheek to a level where she was bleeding profusely," says Foose.

It was dermatillomania , to be specific.

"She truly could not control herself, despite the pain that it was causing, despite the disfigurement. And nail biting sort of forever fell off my radar," says Foose.

Nail biting is not life threatening. On the scale of human failings, it barely lifts the needle. It's not to say Cora wouldn't be better off not biting her nails. But, says Foose, there may be a better way to talk about it. Just as Foose had removed the stigma and guilt for herself, maybe I could do that for my daughter.

"You can go to the place of giving kids information. Like, 'Oh, I see you biting your nails. Mommy bites her nails, too. You know why we shouldn't bite our nails? Because there are germs that live under our nails,' " explains Foose.

A way that frames it, in other words, as a choice. One that's hers to make — even if it takes having her own kids one day to make it.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

The Psychology Behind Nail Biting

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Introduction Is Nail Biting Actually a Medical Condition? Nail Biting and Young People The Psychology of Nail Biting References Further Reading

Nail biting is a common behavior often viewed as nothing more than an annoying habit. The behavior is all too often ignored. However, nail biting can be serious and it is a misunderstood and misdiagnosed disorder. This article probes nail-biting as a medical condition, seeks to understand who is most likely to be afflicted by the distressing condition, and looks at its association with mental health conditions.

Nail biting. Image Credit: Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock.com

Is nail biting actually a medical condition?

Nail biting is known medically as onychophagia. It is a type of self-grooming behavior involving biting and chewing the nails, including the toenails. It is a destructive habit, especially when it is repeated and exhibited in response to stressful circumstances.

Nail biting can lead to serious problems such as infection and mental health conditions.

And yet onychophagia currently resides as a non-official diagnostic entity. In recent years the problem has been receiving an increasing amount of scientific attention and several articles have appeared in popular media attesting to the potential gravity of the condition if it is left untreated.

Nail biting sits among other conditions such as trichotillomania (skin picking) under the umbrella of pathological grooming. Research has been carried out to try to understand whether these conditions all stem from similar underlying tendencies. A related psychiatric disorder is known as onychotillomania and is associated with chronic picking and manicuring the nails.

Nail biting and young people

Nail biting is prevalent in children and adolescents. It occurs in 20-33% of children and nearly half of teenagers ––a whopping 45% (Siddiqui et al., 2020). Although the problem is much reduced approaching adulthood, in some it does unfortunately persist.

In the US, research has shown that up to one in three people meet the clinical diagnostic criteria for the presence of at least one pathological grooming behavior. This statistic is rather surprising given the figures are greater than those for depression, anxiety, and alcohol abuse (Maraz, et al. 2017; Bijil et al., 1998; Offord, et al., 1996).

What are the reasons behind nail biting? Research has revealed the following common reasons for the behavior (Siddiqui et al., 2020):

Nervousness: Due to stress and anxiety. In this instance, nail biting is temporarily appealing due to the calming effect it has on the nervous system
Emotions: Our emotional make-up is integral to why we turn to nail biting. Shyness and low self-esteem can have an effect in addition to the pain caused by highly traumatic life events such as death or divorce
Perfectionism: As discussed above those with this trait exhibit a low tolerance for boredom and frustration that is alleviated by nail-biting
Boredom: due to inactivity/for want of finding something better to do
Imitation: Children copying adult behavior
Psychosomatic: This is usually seen in aggressive families

And this list brings us to the psychology of nail-biting, a behavior frequently associated with mental health conditions and, less obviously, with a particular type of personality.

Nail biting. Image Credit: stockphotofan1/Shutterstock.com

The psychology of nail biting

Mental health conditions associated with nail biting can involve severe emotional distress, depression, and anxiety. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM–5), NB is classified as an "Other specified obsessive-compulsive and related disorder" with the specification of “body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRBs)," whereas the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems ICD-10 classifies the practice as "other specified behavioral and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence" (Siddiqui et al., 2020).

Common psychiatric conditions linked to nail biting in children are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and separation anxiety disorder. In addition, some other co-morbid disorders include major depressive disorder, tic disorder, forms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, enuresis (involuntary urination), mental retardation, pervasive developmental disorder and sometimes also generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.

There is a classification system linked with nail biting as follows (Siddiqui et al., 2020):

Nail biters who do it without realizing
Nail biting to control anxiety
Nail biting for the purposes of attention seeking
Self-injurious nail biting to control aggression
Nail biting as part of the obsessive-compulsive disorder spectrum
Nail biting according to the DSM-5: other specified obsessive-compulsive and related disorder
Nail biting according to the ICD-10: other specified behavioral and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence
Nail biting that is classified as Pathological and Non-pathological

It is thought that nail biting may also be linked with having a perfectionist personality type. Perfectionism is associated with a low boredom threshold and a much-reduced tolerance for frustration.

So, what can be done for those suffering from this all-too-common disorder? To begin with, raising awareness about the condition and its impact seems to be a good place to start. In terms of dealing with the condition, certainly in children, admonishment is completely ineffective. However, positive reinforcement and behavioral modification techniques have so far shown much promise.

Bijl, R. et al. 1998. Prevalence of psychiatric disorder in the general population: results of The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS). Soc Psychiatry Psychiatric Epidem. Doi: 10.1007/s001270050098
Maraz, A. et al. 2017. Pathological grooming: Evidence for a single factor behind trichotillomania, skin picking and nail biting. PLoS One. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183806
Offord, D. et al. 1996. One-year prevalence of psychiatric disorder in Ontarians 15 to 64 years of age. Can J Psychiatry. Doi: 10.1177/070674379604100904
Siddiqui, J. 2020. Onychophagia (Nail Biting): an overview. Indian Journal of Mental Health. 7: 97.

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I had this habit growing up but I stopped after one of my fingers was infected. A nurse suggested I get my nails done to stop biting them and that helped but I picked up another bad habit afterwards.

Not enough information on the subject a brief summary would be much appreciated.

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The Year I Stopped Biting My Nails

On achieving things, no matter how small..

Many years ago, I met a friend for lunch in New York. This was in the days before cellphones, so we made a plan to find each other at the 96 th Street subway station. When I arrived, it was windy and rainy, so I huddled under an awning with my hood up. I was worried that my friend wouldn’t find me, but more worried that I would get soaked, so I stayed there, searching all the drab raincoats exiting the subway for a familiar form.

After a few minutes, a body separated from the masses on the other side of Broadway, crossed the street, and approached me. It was my friend. “I knew it was you from over there,” he said, “because I could see you biting your nails.”

I was appalled. Until that moment I had never thought of myself as a nail-biter—or rather, I had never realized that a nail-biter was what everyone thought of me as. But of course they did, because that was what I was. It was what I had been for decades before, and it was what I would be for decades after. But somehow, this year, of all years, that changed.

The year 2020 was a year of feeling out of control. We were helpless to change the maps that showed the pandemic blooming across the country, as the reds that once represented the top of the scale were supplanted by new, hotter, more terrible reds. We could do nothing to stop the Trump administration from careening through its final year, doing immense damage both by actively doing evil and by not doing anything. We could try to protect ourselves and our families, and in doing so contribute in our small way to the health of our community, but even that felt far from safe or reliable enough.

It was a year where achievements were modest. Yes, there were those who accomplished new personal records or built new decks, but the real achievements of 2020, if the year went as well as it could, were the things we avoided. I managed not to get sick or get anyone else sick. I canceled the trips I had so eagerly anticipated. I wasn’t overwhelmed by depression or panic or apocalyptic thinking, though I flirted with them all.

And so it’s fitting that the personal achievement I’m most proud of in 2020 is a thing I stopped doing: I stopped biting my fingernails. In a year of helplessness, I exerted this tiny bit of control over myself, over my body. In this most stressful of years, I managed to break a stress-related habit that has bedeviled me for my entire life. As this awful year came to a close, I wanted to understand how I did it.

My mother says she has a memory of me sitting at our kitchen table in the sunshine, “gnawing away while you were deep into a book.” She thinks I was in second or third grade. I bit my nails as a teenager, nibbling in world lit while Ms. Gutschow discussed the Green Knight. I bit my nails in college, waiting backstage for my entrance in a Pinter play. I bit my nails in my first jobs in publishing; I bit my nails at my wedding and during the births of my children; I bit my nails as I became, in most other respects, a grown man with responsibilities and credentials. And each New Year’s I would think, well, this is ridiculous. I am 25/35/40 years old, I am a graduate student/professional journalist/father of teenagers, and yet my cuticles are bleeding and my nails are ragged and torn.

But I never quit. For our entire marriage, my wife had had standing permission to smack me on the arm whenever she saw my hands go to my mouth, but I didn’t quit. I painted my nails with that foul-tasting clear nail polish, but I didn’t quit. I let go of any number of other harmful habits picked up in the 1980s and ’90s—cigarettes, “ironic” homophobia, Piers Anthony novels—but kept right on biting my nails.

As a character note, nail-biting is what I think of as an indicator: a behavior that telegraphs a certain emotional state, whether you want it to or not. If you are biting your nails, people believe you are nervous. It’s a bit obvious, as a signifier of anxiety and is, unsurprisingly, common in animation: Goofy wood-chips his nails when he’s on a diet, Pegasus chews his hooves as Hercules makes his way through an obstacle course. There’s a whole SpongeBob SquarePants episode about SpongeBob’s nail-biting habit; thwarted from chewing his own, he resorts to biting the nails of his friends.

Yet I’ve never really thought of myself as a particularly anxious person. For me, nail-biting was a habit for bad times and good. I bit my nails unconsciously, indiscriminately—that is, I would be doing something else, lost in thought, and then I would come to at the pleasant, decisive clack of my teeth, the delectable tug of the nail away from my finger. My hand was at my mouth and I had no idea how it had gotten there. But now that it was there—now that the nail was uneven, its tiny point waiting to snag a sweater or simply bother me—I might as well finish the job. And it made no sense to have one very short nail and other, longer nails, and I’d already fallen prey to the habit, so why not just work my way through the fingers, cutting every nail down to size?

God! Even typing these words I curl my fingertips in delight. My neural pathways still recall the sensation, and crave it. I have quit biting my nails, but I haven’t quit wanting to bite them.

Nail-biting is a body-focused repetitive behavior , in the same family as hair-pulling, skin-picking, and cheek-chewing. As with all such behaviors, it can be triggered by stress or anxiety but is not necessarily in and of itself a sign of stress of anxiety. “These are all grooming behaviors in the animal kingdom,” said John Piacentini, professor of psychiatry and director of UCLA’s CARES Center for childhood anxiety . “Grooming behaviors are very, very strong instincts and patterns. We believe that these disorders are grooming instincts that have gone a bit awry.”

The behavior is particularly hard to curb. “There’s no medication, really,” said Piacentini. “It’s hard to monitor, and hard to prevent. Oftentimes, it’s done automatically. We catch ourselves only after we start it. So even if you are trying to stop, the horse is out of the barn before you realize it.”

On New Year’s Day 2020, I once again set myself the resolution of minimizing, and eventually eliminating, this embarrassing habit. It might be tough in an election year, I thought, but I’m now 45 years old and I have got to find a way. I tried a different technique: For the first few weeks of January I restricted my biting to one hand, my left, letting the fingernails on my right hand grow unmolested. This worked, basically, allowing me on the one hand to continue my habit while, on the other, seeing the positive effects of restraint. In February, I attempted a kind of gentle withdrawal practice: I allowed myself to put my hands near my mouth, even to put my fingernails on my teeth , but I did not bite down. I just kept my hand there until the desire passed. When my wife smacked me, I ineffectually protested, “I’m not biting!” She was right that it was still gross, but I was right that I wasn’t biting. Those moments of tapping my ever-longer fingernails against my teeth were, it seemed, what I needed to curtail my desire.

Right around the time of the year that I would typically relapse, the pandemic came. In those first months of the novel coronavirus, we were all obsessed with fomite transfer : the notion that the virus might travel from a surface to your hand and from your hand to a mucous membrane. We sang “Happy Birthday” twice while washing our hands. And we were suddenly hideously conscious of how often our hands touched our face . This was frightening but also, for a person in his third month of trying to stop biting his nails, very helpful. Specialists working to help a patient stop biting nails use a technique called “habit reversal,” which requires increasing awareness of the offending behavior. “You might wear a wrist weight, or a jangly bracelet,” Piacentini said, to alert you when your hand approaches your mouth. Now I had something even more effective than a jangly bracelet: a worldwide public health crisis and the fear of death. Plus, I was often wearing a mask.

As my fingernails got longer I rediscovered the little sensations and annoyances familiar, I suppose, to normal people with normal fingers. I kept stubbing my new fingernails painfully into things. Once, hands wet from their hourly washing, I tried to turn the bathroom doorknob and my nails dug into my own palm, leaving four bright red crescents in my hand. But I could also open a can of Diet Coke without asking my wife for help. “Your nails look good,” she said one day in April, after I—what was this devilry?—clipped them.

Perhaps because of nail-biting’s cartoonishness, it’s not that common a character trait in literature. F. Scott Fitzgerald made glamorous Gloria Gilbert an unlikely nail-biter in The Beautiful and Damned —she takes Anthony to the drugstore to buy gumballs in order to give herself something else to do with her hands. In Lord of the Flies , Ralph, the island’s last exemplar of civilization, looks in a moment of despair down at his nails: “They were bitten down to the quick though he could not remember when he had restarted this habit nor any time when he indulged it.” The implication is that Ralph had once bit his nails, shed the habit, and now—trapped by a plane crash, forced into a position of leadership—he’s returned to it. He hates it.

Over the past four decades I, too, could often not remember when I restarted the habit after deliberate attempts to wean. I would go long weeks without touching my fingernails and then, in an unconscious frenzy while reading a particularly engrossing book, mow my fingers short. And then I would berate myself at my inattention, my lack of self-control, and then shrug: If my fingers look terrible again, why not soothe myself by biting some more? “We see some of the same patterns we see in drug addiction,” Piacentini told me. “You feel those negative consequences, and then you use drugs to make those consequences go away.”

But as spring 2020 moved into summer, I was able to avoid relapse. I realize now that the very unconsciousness of the habit is what doomed it in 2020. The thoughtless absorption in a book or a TV show or my own writing that was the harbor for the habit in the before times was a rarity now, so occupied was I with the various ways that the pandemic was changing our lives. Finally, I was as inescapably anxious as my habit had always telegraphed, and in the midst of this upheaval, I found gentle comfort in the one tiny bit of continued control I was exerting over my life. Even during the stress of the election and the continuing stress of the postelection, I found it easier to not bite my nails than to bite them. “We are creatures of habit,” said Piacentini. “And we can start building the habit of not biting.”

I have reached the end of 2020, this accursed year, with fingernails that are serviceable. They bear the scars of years gone by—I will never have the dewy nail beds of a Jergens model—but they look … OK. And I’m not the only one to have shed the practice. Piacentini revealed bashfully that he had been a nail-biter for 50 years before he went “cold turkey” in March. “I think that, perversely, this was a good year to quit,” he said. He still thinks about it, still desires the habit—he sounded almost wistful as we bonded over the simple pleasures of worrying at a thumbnail—but he hasn’t bitten a nail since the pandemic took over life in America.

In a way, I am writing this essay for the boost of accountability I hope it will provide. I can see, at some future date, the likely possibility that I will bite a nail. At that moment I will have a choice: I can give in to the illicit rapture and relapse. Or I can find it within myself to stop at one finger, to wear that bitten nail like a warning, and let myself go no further. If you see me out in public—at the theater, I hope, or at dinner together indoors—please ask me about my nails, and call me on it if they look bad.

I don’t mean to brag about this achievement, exactly. But I am proud of myself. 2020 was not the year to measure yourself against your childhood dreams. This is not the New Year’s to bemoan the novel you didn’t write or the race you didn’t run. 2020 was a year to find triumph in unlikely places. Day by day, hour by hour, I succeeded at something in this awful year. You did too, even if it was just seeing it to its end without doing too much damage to yourself.

It was a nail-biter, but you made it.

The Biting Nails Habit: Behavior Modification Research Paper

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The habit of biting one’s nails is common in many people of different ages. This kind of habit can be caused by many things but the main cause is stress or anxiety. Different people find different ways to deal with daily life stress. Some prefer to shop, others eat comfort foods like chocolates and ice cream and others will find themselves biting their nails. There are so many ways one can use to stop the nail biting habit some of them being using substances that have bitter tastes, using hypnosis or just taking good care of your nails such that you will feel a loss if you bite them.

The successful stopping of biting fingernails is possible and the person who is successful will not only ensure healthy fingernails but they will have succeeded in kicking off a very bad habit. In addition to that, the person will feel encouraged to keep their nails in a better state and will feel more confident with their nails in the case of those that are embarrassed by them. The following is a program I came up with to help myself and others who have the same habit of nail biting to stop this destructive behavior.

Step I. Find out the root cause of the habit : The first step one has to do in order to stop biting their nails is to find the root cause of the problem. This is because such behaviors are normally as a result of oral fixation mainly brought about by stress, anxiety, boredom, nervousness or even hunger.

Step II. Find an alternative way to relieve your stress: try to look for something else to do when you are feeling stressed. This could be pressing a stress ball or doing one of your hobbies like drawing or playing games. Whichever activity you choose to replace nail biting with, make sure it is not another self destructing one.

Step III. Set records for yourself and beat them: you can start by setting a target of not biting your nails for a day or not biting a certain fingernail for a day. Once you succeed in doing this you can extend it for two days and so on. Progressively, you will find yourself not biting your nails for a week, then a month and finally never doing it again.

Step IV. Trim your nails: keeping your nails short and regularly filing them could help you to stop biting them since there will not be much surface to bite. Whenever you find yourself starting to bite your nails, stop and trim them then file the ragged parts away neatly and you will find yourself stopping the habit soon enough.

Step V. Go for regular manicures: manicuring your nails will ensure that your nails look neat and pretty. Manicurists always make sure that they cut all the dead skin on the cuticles away. They then apply nail polish which is most of the time bitter to taste and you might not like biting nails with such polish. These kinds of nail polish act as reminders not to bite your nails especially when you find yourself doing it unconsciously.

Step VI. Put on nail jewellery: nail jewelleries can also help one to stop the nail biting habit. These jewelleries can come off when bit and can even choke you. This might scare you enough to make you stop biting your nails.

Step VII. Have a vision of beautiful nails: It will help you to have a vision of clean, neat and beautiful nails because you will be focused on maintaining their status. Since nail biting makes them look really bad, you might not want to do it anymore.

Step VIII. Show off to others: being a show off can at times be advantageous if used effectively. Make sure you show off your nails occasionally in order to find some pride in them. When your friends or even family praises you on the condition of your nails you will find yourself trying to maintain their status. That is the effect of positive reinforcement.

Step IX. Patience pays: do not be in too much a hurry to stop the habit because it will not disappear overnight. Sometimes you can try protecting one nail at a time from your nail biting habit. If you can successfully stay away from it then you move to a second one. Finally you will find yourself not biting any of your nails at all. If you find yourself relapsing, just encourage yourself to do it again and do not give up.

If effectively followed to the latter, this program can work perfectly. The person with the nail biting habit needs to be patient and attentive at the same time in addition to being dedicated totally to this program in order for it to be successful. The person will risk a relapse if they give up somewhere along the way and do not follow the advice carefully.

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Why Do I Bite My Nails and How Can I Stop?

How to Stop

When to See a Healthcare Provider

Nail biting typically starts in childhood and continues into adulthood. While nail biting is a common problem, it can be caused by several factors that range from genetics to stress and anxiety .

Although the behavior may seem simple to stop, many individuals who have attempted to break the habit have not succeeded. Instead, they experience unsightly nails, soreness around the nails, and risk damage to the skin, cuticles, and nail bed.

This article discusses the causes that lead to nail biting, how to stop biting your nails, and when to see a healthcare provider.

Getty Images / JGI/Jamie Grill

Why Do I Bite My Nails?

Nail biting, or onychophagia , is also known as pathological grooming. It can also be a behavior associated with certain obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCDs) like trichtotillomania (hair pulling) and dermatillomania (skin pricking). Nail biting can also be caused by stress and anxiety, boredom, and mental health disorders.

Stress and Anxiety

The behaviors stated above may be triggered by events that cause stress and anxiety. Unlike physical reactions, like a pounding heart or hyperventilation, which can result in a fight-or-flight response, nail biting is a way of releasing stress and anxiety because it feels good.

A Scientific American article published in 2015 states that stress is not the only reason for compulsion disorders, but, rather, boredom and frustration can also trigger the need to do something instead of nothing. This type of behavior can be brought on by a perfectionist personality.

It may also be that nail-biting occurs automatically (without thinking about it) to keep your hands busy when you're bored.

Mental Health Disorders

The fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) notes that nail biting is a body-focused repetitive behavior disorder listed under obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental health condition where an individual has unwanted thoughts, ideas, or sensations (obsessions) that make them driven to do something repetitively (compulsions).

Behaviors of this type can interrupt a person’s day-to-day activities and personal interactions. Not acting out on the compulsive behavior causes more distress than relief. In the case of compulsive nail biting, it feels good and releases stress.

Other mental health conditions a nail-biter may have include:

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Oppositional defiant disorder (when an individual is defiant and disobedient towards people of authority)
Separation anxiety disorder
Tourette’s syndrome
Depressive disorder

Some studies indicate that if you’re a nail-biter it’s most likely that you picked up the habit from your parents, not by observation, but from genetics. Although how genetics are involved is not known, research has found:

Greater than 30% of nail biters have a family member who is also a nail biter.
Twin studies show that identical twins are more likely to be nail-biters than fraternal twins.
If the nail-biter has obsessive-compulsive disorder, family aggregation studies indicate that the disorder is genetic.

Risks of Nail Biting

Nail biting has several potential side effects, including:

Dental problems such as misalignment and chipped teeth
Fungal infections in the nail bed
Illness, such as colds and flu as fingers pass bacteria to your mouth
Mouth issues, including jaw pain and soft tissue injuries
Skin infections
Tissue damage to fingers, nails and cuticles

If you bite your nails on occasion, they will grow back normally. However, habitual nail biting can disrupt normal nail growth and result in deformed nails.

How to Stop Nail Biting

Being under a great deal of stress and anxiety may lead to persistent nail biting. To break the nail-biting habit or to treat long-term nail-biting that results from psychological disorders, learn the triggers that lead to nail biting and take appropriate measures to stop the habit.

Strategies may include keeping your hands busy, using bitter nail polish, trimming your nails short, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to better manage the stress and anxiety at the root of this behavior.

SMART Goals

One tactic for health behavior change is to set a SMART goal. The acronym means:

Specific : The goal must be specific, using action words and phrases.
Measurable : You must be able to assess your progress with a measurement.
Attainable : You set a goal that is possible to achieve.
Relevant : The goal is likely to produce the desired outcome.
Time-bound : The goal has a start and end date.

An example could be: Starting Oct. 1 I will adopt tactics to stop biting my nails. I will record daily whether I have bitten my nails or not, including how many nails were bitten. By Dec. 31 I will not have bitten my nails in the past 10 days.

Cut Them Short

The easiest solution is to simply cut your nails short, which may motivate you to not bite them. However, if you often experience stress and anxiety, or have obsessive-compulsive disorder, even short nails may not deter you from biting them or chewing on cuticles or hangnails.

Get a Manicure or Trim Often

Investing the time and expense in a manicure or trimming nails often may be enough incentive to not bite your nails. Another option is to wear gloves to prevent nail biting.

Keep Your Hands Busy

An easy and efficient way to keep your fingers away from your mouth is to keep your hands busy. This is a replacement behavior. There are many creative activities you can try to distract you from nail biting, such as:

Use Bitter Nail Polish

You can find bitter-tasting nail polish at a local pharmacy and apply it to your nails. If you’re unable to locate this type of nail polish, another option is to spray a bitter apple mixture on your hands. You can make it using white vinegar, apple cider vinegar , and water.

Manage Stress and Anxiety

Understanding the triggers that make you anxious, stressed, or bored may help to stop nail biting. If you’re unable to stop, and nail-biting becomes more and more habitual, talk to your healthcare provider to get a referral to a therapist.

Therapists may work with you using CBT, a type of talk therapy that teaches you to change negative behaviors and emotions by altering negative thought patterns. If you have a mental health disorder, like OCD, you may need medication to treat the condition.

An occasional nibble on your nails may not require a visit to a healthcare provider, but if your nail beds are infected and the infection has spread to your mouth, you will need to see a healthcare provider to be treated with antibiotics.

If your nail biting has reached a point that you can’t stop and it is affecting your self-esteem and relationships, ask for a referral to see a therapist. Many healthcare provider offices have access to behavioral health specialists or consultants who can help you make changes.

Nail biting usually starts in childhood and may continue into adulthood. Although a common habit, nail biting can be triggered by stress and anxiety, but it may also be an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

To stop the habit, you may take benign approaches like keeping your hands busy, but if you feel your habit is out of control, you may need to consider therapy to determine what is triggering the activity.

MentalHelp.net. It’s Called Onychophagia or Nail Biting .

Scientific American. Nail Biting May Arise from Perfectionism , July 2015. doi:10.1038/scientificamericanmind0715-15b

UCLA Health. How nail biting is affecting your health .

American Psychiatric Association. What is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

Hsueh CW, Chen CW. Prevalence of nail biting and its chronological relationship with tics in child and adolescent outpatients with Tourette syndrome: a single-centre, retrospective observational study . BMJ Open. 2022 Sep 15;12(9):e063874. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063874

Bhardwaj A, Agarwal S, Koolwal A, et al. Onychotillomania as manifestation for underlying depressive disorder . Indian J Psychiatry. 2016 Jan-Mar;58(1):98-9. doi: 10.4103/0019-5545.174398

Baghchechi M, Pelletier JL, Jacob SE. Art of Prevention: The importance of tackling the nail biting habit . Int J Womens Dermatol. 2020 Sep 17;7(3):309-313. doi: 10.1016/j.ijwd.2020.09.008

Pauls DL. The genetics of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a review . Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2010;12(2):149-163. DOI:10.31887/DCNS.2010.12.2/dpauls

White ND, Bautista V, Lenz T, Cosimano A. Using the SMART-EST goals in lifestyle medicine prescription . Am J Lifestyle Med . 2020;14(3):271-273. doi:10.1177/1559827620905775

By Rebeca Schiller Rebeca Schiller is a health and wellness writer with over a decade of experience covering topics including digestive health, pain management, and holistic nutrition.

Brianna Weber

Using Habit Reversal to Exterminate Nail Biting in College Student (Research Paper)

Using Habit Reversal to Exterminate Nail Biting in College Student

Pennsylvania State University

Psychology of Behavior Modification

In this study, habit reversal was used to treat nail and skin biting and picking in a female college student using a reversal design and self-assessment. The intervention consisted of the participant engaging in three personally selected activities to reverse the feeling of frustration and boredom. The results showed a decrease in biting and picking during intervention and extinction during posttreatment. This study contributes to helping college students have a procedure that stops biting and picking without disrupting a daily routine.

Keywords : habit reversal, female, college student, onychophagia, differential reinforcement of incompatible (DRI) and alternative (DRA) behavior2

Introduction

Nail and skin biting and picking, also known as onychophagia, is a self-injury habit that involves removal and damage of the skin on an individual’s fingers damaging the nails and the skin present around the nails. Onychophagia can cause swelling, redness, scarring, infection, and pain to the fingers of the individual (Williams, Rose, Chisholm, 2007). It can also leave the individual having feelings of insecurity and depression (Williams, Rose, Chisholm, 2007). There are many causes of onychophagia such as anxiety control, attention seeking, aggression control, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and behavioral and emotional disorders (Siddiqui, Qureshi, 2020). Onychophagia occurs in up to 4% of college students and is most common in females (Twohig, Woods, 2001). The habit commonly occurs in children and young adults and is usually present when the biter is stressed, frustrated, bored, nervous, or embarrassed (Williams, Rose, Chisholm, 2007). Habit reversal has been used to treat repetitive behavioral problems (Twohig, Woods, 2001) and has the potential to decrease or extinct onychophagia in college students based on this study.

Purpose of the Present Study

This study includes a habit reversal procedure that can be used to help college students stop onychophagia and can be implemented into their daily lives without interruption and independent participation. The goal of this study is to have the participant, a 22 year old college female, completely stop nail and skin biting and picking within a time frame of three weeks using the habit reversal procedure provided.

Participants

The participant was a 22 year old Caucasian female (Brianna Weber) and a fourth-year undergraduate student at Pennsylvania State University. For the participant, nail biting started during childhood and proceeded into her undergraduate studies. Nail biting was defined as the participant’s nails, cuticles, and finger skin around the nails coming in contact with her teeth with the motive or goal to remove any nail or skin and any effort to remove nail and skin with the use of her fingers (also known as picking). Due to the consequence of nail biting, the participant reported damage to the fingers with bleeding, inflammation, redness, scarring, pain, and discomfort of open wounds.

Data Collection

Self-monitoring

The participant self-monitored throughout the entirety of the three weeks of the procedure. During the first and third week when intervention was not present, the participant marked down on her phone what time she picked or bit, what action was done (biting, picking, or both), and what she was doing during the time of the picking and or biting (school, leisure, work, or driving). At the end of each day, a total number of nail biting and picks that occurred that day was recorded. During the second week, when intervention was implemented, the participant monitored when she engaged in differential reinforcement of incompatible (DRI) and alternative (DRA) behavior (coloring, gaming, counting).

Photographs

Throughout the three-week procedure, photographs were taken every day to monitor the amount of injury due to nail biting and picking. This was done during pretreatment, intervention, and posttreatment to monitor the progress of biting and picking and to take note of bleeding, inflammation, redness, scarring, pain, and discomfort.

A reversal design was used to evaluate the effects of the intervention. Baseline self-monitoring occurred for one week prior to intervention, starting on April 1 and ending on April 7. The intervention consisted of DRI and DRA behavior for one week, starting on April 8 and ending April 14. Every time the participant felt like engaging or engaged in nail biting or fingerpicking, she did one of three activities. She was able to choose to color, play a game on her phone, or count her fingers, which she would engage in for a minimum of two minutes each time. These actions were chosen based on the participant’s self-report that the actions can end the feeling of boredom and frustration. The second baseline phase started on April 15 to April 22, where no activities were done and the participant self-monitored and photographed.

During the baseline there was a mean of 68 nail and skin biting and pickings per day. During intervention, the second week, the mean of incidents decreased to 32 per day. This included contact to the mouth and the times the participant felt tempted to engage in nail and skin biting and picking. The third week had a mean of 0 as the participant did not engage in any finger injury.

Number of self-recorded nail and skin biting and picking in a day through the three phases of the procedure

As shown in Figure 1 the participant decreased in nail biting during intervention. She reported that she stopped engaging in finger injury on Day 10. This includes her fingers making any contact with her mouth with the intent of self-injury or using her fingers to injure herself. Though she stopped finger to mouth contact, she still participated in DRA and DRI behaviors for Day 11 to Day 14 due to the temptation of nail and skin biting and picking. The third week, posttreatment, the participant did not engage in any finger injury as she was able to restrain from her fingers encountering her mouth or feeling the need to use her fingers to self-injure herself.

Picture taken during baseline phase to monitor nail and skin biting and picking progress

Picture taken at the end of intervention phase to monitor nail and skin biting and picking progress

Figure 2 shows a picture that was taken during the baseline before intervention was implemented. Figure 3 is a picture taken during intervention. There is a decrease in redness, deep cuts, and cuticle damage. Pictures were used to track decrease in injury to fingers along with the amount recorded of nail and skin biting and picking in the self-assessment log.

This study suggests that habit reversal can be effective when applied to nail and skin biting and picking. The study also shows that this procedure works for young adults in undergraduate studies at a university with the activities being accessible and able to be implemented without interruption of a daily routine. Something that should be noted, is habit reversal may not contribute to onychophagia long-term. The participant, though not included in the study, reported that after posttreatment she experienced mouth to finger contact in stressful situations before discontinuing the habit. Though she was able to stop herself from pursuing in self-injury, over time the habit may become a concern again. Considering the mean of the baseline and the participant reporting severe self-injury, a week of intervention may not have been enough for the severity the participant experienced with the habit. The procedure was appropriate to the participant, contributing a helpful procedure for the daily routine of being a college student. The procedure had a strong value to the participant since she underwent consistent frustration and boredom in the four daily life events listed (school, leisure, work, and driving), helping her get rid of her severe consequences of onychophagia. For future research it would be beneficial to the participant and the researchers to take into account how severe the participant experiences onychophagia. This can contribute to choosing an effective intervention timeline. In this study, DRA and DRI behaviors were assigned to the participant based on a self-assessment to discontinue the feeling of frustration and boredom. The feelings associated with onychophagia and the participant must be considered so proper behaviors can be chosen and the study can be modified to fit the needs of those specific participants. For researchers that replicate this study, they need to consider what causes onychophagia in specific college students as it may vary from student to student.

Gür, K., Erol, S., & İncir, N. (2018). The effectiveness of a nail‐biting prevention program among primary school students. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing , 23 (3), e12219. https://doi.org/10.1111/jspn.12219

Siddiqui, J. A., & Quershi, S. F. (2020). Onychophagia (Nail Biting): an overview. Indian Journal of Mental Health , 7 (2), 97. https://doi.org/10.30877/ijmh.7.2.2020.97-104

Twohig, M. P., & Woods, D. W. (2001). HABIT REVERSAL AS A TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC SKIN PICKING IN TYPICALLY DEVELOPING ADULT MALE SIBLINGS. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis , 34 (2), 217–220. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2001.34-217

Williams, T. I., Rose, R., & Chisholm, S. (2007). What is the function of nail biting: An analog assessment study. Behaviour Research and Therapy , 45 (5), 989–995. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2006.07.013

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How to stop biting your nails

Nail biting typically begins in childhood and can continue through adulthood, and the side effects can be more than cosmetic. Repeated nail biting can make the skin around your nails feel sore, and it can damage the tissue that makes nails grow, resulting in abnormal-looking nails. To help you stop biting your nails, dermatologists recommend following these tips.

Nail biting typically begins in childhood and can continue through adulthood, and the side effects can be more than cosmetic. Repeated nail biting can make the skin around your nails feel sore, and it can damage the tissue that makes nails grow, resulting in abnormal-looking nails. Chronic nail biting can also leave you vulnerable to infection as you pass harmful bacteria and viruses from your mouth to your fingers and from your nails to your face and mouth.

To help you stop biting your nails, dermatologists recommend the following tips:

Keep your nails trimmed short. Having less nail provides less to bite and is less tempting.

Apply bitter-tasting nail polish to your nails. Available over-the-counter, this safe, but awful-tasting formula discourages many people from biting their nails.

Get regular manicures. Spending money to keep your nails looking attractive may make you less likely to bite them. Alternatively, you can also cover your nails with tape or stickers or wear gloves to prevent biting.

Replace the nail-biting habit with a good habit. When you feel like biting your nails, try playing with a stress ball or silly putty instead. This will help keep your hands busy and away from your mouth.

Identify your triggers. These could be physical triggers, such as the presence of hangnails, or other triggers, such as boredom, stress, or anxiety. By figuring out what causes you to bite your nails, you can figure out how to avoid these situations and develop a plan to stop. Just knowing when you’re inclined to bite may help solve the problem.

Try to gradually stop biting your nails. Some doctors recommend taking a gradual approach to break the habit. Try to stop biting one set of nails, such as your thumb nails, first. When that’s successful, eliminate your pinky nails, pointer nails, or even an entire hand. The goal is to get to the point where you no longer bite any of your nails.

For some people, nail biting may be a sign of a more serious psychological or emotional problem. If you’ve repeatedly tried to quit and the problem persists, consult a doctor. If you bite your nails and develop a skin or nail infection, consult a board-certified dermatologist .

Related AAD resources

Tips for healthy nails

Manicure and pedicure safety

Gel manicures

How to trim your nails

Nail changes a dermatologist should examine

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Int J Womens Dermatol
v.7(3); 2021 Jun

Art of Prevention: The importance of tackling the nail biting habit

Mohsen baghchechi.

a University of California, Riverside, School of Medicine, Riverside, CA, United States

Janice L. Pelletier

b Pediatric Dermatology, Northern Light Health, Bangor, ME, United States

c New England College of Medicine, Biddeford, ME, United States

Sharon E. Jacob

d Medicine and Pediatrics Department of Dermatology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States

e Veterans Association, Dermatology Section, Loma Linda, CA, United States

Onychophagia, commonly referred to as nail biting, is a chronic condition that is repetitive and compulsive in nature, and generally seen in children and young adults. Multiple factors play a role in the development of nail biting, ranging from genetic components to underlying psychiatric conditions. Complications of chronic, compulsive nail biting range from obvious distortion of the nail bed unit to ungual and oral infection. Dental hygiene is typically less well-maintained in patients with nail-biting disorders, and teeth may become chipped or notched and gums many become inflamed. Treatment of nail biting involves a multidisciplinary team that provides social, psychiatric, dermatologic, and dental care. Treatment ranges from psychotherapy modalities to medication trials of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and N-acetylcysteine. Proper nail hygiene remains a mainstay in the prevention of the complications of chronic nail biting. Additional supportive measures include the support of self-motivational novels and television episodes that help children learn coping mechanisms.

Introduction

Onychophagia, commonly referred to as nail biting, is a chronic condition that is repetitive and compulsive in nature. Although commonly only seen in children and young adults, there is a paucity of related epidemiologic studies. A review of the literature demonstrates that multiple stressors can cause an exacerbation of impulsive nail biting, ranging from school stress to family dysfunction ( Halteh et al., 2017 ). The exacerbation can be explained by underlying anxiety, creating a feed-forward impulsive behavior that helps soothe the patient. Other researchers suggest that nail biting is a form of attention seeking in children and adolescents ( Illingworth, 1964 ). The aim of this article is to present multiple preventative and therapeutic strategies to curb nail biting to prevent long-term consequences.

Prevalence and etiology

The current literature estimates the prevalence of nail biting at 20% to 30% of the general population ( Halteh et al., 2017 , Pacan et al., 2014 ). Nail biting is more prevalent in children, with one study noting a 37% prevalence among individuals age 3 to 21 years ( Winebrake et al., 2018 ) Fig. 1 . Leung and Robson (1990) describe a downward trend in prevalence as affected individuals reach adulthood and beyond. However, nail biting remains prevalent among young adults, with one study reporting a 21.5% prevalence among those age 18 to 35 years ( Halteh et al., 2017 ). There are inconsistencies regarding differences in prevalence based on sex, with studies reporting anywhere from a higher predilection in boys to a higher female predominance and some studies even report no difference ( Leung and Robson, 1990 , Pacan et al., 2014 ).

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Young child’s hand with mild nail biting.

Although the exact etiology of nail biting is yet to be elucidated, individuals experience this phenomenon differently. Some are consciously aware of their nail-biting habit, whereas others unconsciously bite their nails under specific triggers or circumstances ( Pacan et al., 2014 ). On the other hand, compulsive nail biting may be a sign of psychiatric illness that can have both dermatologic and dental consequences. Previous genetic studies describe a positive genetic factor in play, where >30% of patients with onychophagia have a family member with the disorder ( Bakwin and Bakwin, 1972 ). Twin concordance studies support a potential genetic component because monozygotic twins were more likely to have the disorder compared with dizygotic along with an attributable influence of 50% ( Ooki, 2005 ). The same study reported that patients with both parents reporting a history of nail biting had a 3- to 4-fold greater risk of developing a nail-biting disorder ( Ooki, 2005 ).

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders and psychiatric associations

Nail biting may be a normal phenomenon during childhood; however, the exact criteria for pathologic nail biting are not clearly defined ( Ghanizadeh, 2011 ). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, categorizes chronic nail biting as other specified obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), classified in the same group as compulsive lip biting, nose picking, and hair pulling ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ). More specifically, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, labels nail biting as body-focused repetitive behavior. To meet these diagnostic criteria, patients must have failed attempts at suppressing the compulsive behavior even in the face of negative social impact ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ).

Currently, studies are inconsistent when comparing the association between OCD and comorbid compulsive nail biting ( Halteh et al., 2017 ). Similar inconsistent data exist when searching for an association between anxiety and nail biting. For example, a report by Pacan et al. (2014) found that only 25% of patients who suffer from a nail biting disorder met the criteria for a diagnosis with a comorbid OCD or anxiety disorder. The same study also found a prevalence of 3.1% for OCD in nail biters, which is similar to the prevalence in the general population ( Pacan et al., 2014 ). An article by Ghanizadeh (2008) reported that 56% and 46% of mothers and fathers, respectively, of children with a nail-biting disorder suffer from a psychiatric illness, with depressive disorder being the most common disorder.

Differential diagnosis

Dermatologists should be cognizant of nail disorders that can be mistaken as onychophagia. One such disease is onychomycosis, a fungal infection of the nail that may lead to discoloration and nailbed destruction. Another nail disorder on the differential is nail psoriasis, which presents as pitting, nailbed separation, discoloration, and splinter hemorrhages ( Jiaravuthisan et al., 2007 ). Patients may reveal a history of arthritis or cutaneous manifestations of psoriasis, including extensor plaques with scaling. Lichen planus is an inflammatory mucocutaneous disease that may be mistaken for onychophagia ( Goettmann et al., 2012 ). An examination of the fingernails will reveal thin and ridged nail plates. Occasionally excess scar formation over the cuticle may result in a pterygium.

Patients typically have concomitant purple, polygonal papules and plaques along the skin and mucous membranes. Additionally, immune-mediated disruptions responsible for vasculitides, including leukocytoclastic vasculitis, have the potential to cause inflammation along the nailbed microvasculature ( Damevska et al., 2017 ). Patients will present with nail abnormalities, including transverse depressions along the nail and separation of the nail plate. Subungual melanoma is a rare but morbid cause of nail abnormalities that is difficult to diagnose due to subtle characteristics, such as melanonychia (black or brown discoloration of the nail that extends distally) and extension of pigmentation changes in adjacent skin ( Cochran et al., 2014 ).

Risk factors

To date, few risk factors for nail biting have been identified. Bottle feeding for an extended period of time, along with pacifier use, are considered potential risk factors ( Sabuncuoglu et al., 2014 ). Soothing activities, such as thumb and pacifier sucking, are considered the first coordinated muscular activities formed by an infant ( Turgeon-O’Brien et al., 1996 ). The suckling reflex is initially necessary for infants to feed. These behaviors normally phase out by age 3 years; however, the onset of nail biting is speculated to be a pathologic continuation ( Tanaka et al., 2008 ).

Complications

Complications of chronic compulsive nail biting range from obvious distortion of the nailbed unit to ungual and oral infection. The act of chronic trauma to the nail unit may cause progressive nail shortening combined with degeneration of the distant nailbed ( Daniel et al., 2005 , Lee, 2009 ). Paronychia, or infections of the soft tissue surrounding the nailbed, are a common consequence of chronic compulsive nail biting. In addition, infections from papilloma and herpes viruses can lead to the development of contagious warts and vesicular lesions after orodigital transmission ( Szinnai et al., 2001 , Tosti and Piraccini, 2001 ).

The oral cavity has a higher susceptibility to infection and trauma in patients with chronic compulsive nail biting. This population is known to have a higher bacterial burden, specifically Enterobacteriaceae ( Reddy et al., 2013 ). There is always a risk of pathogen seeding and transfer of fomites between the oral cavity and digits. Motghare et al. (2015) delineates an association between chronic nail biting and temporomandibular joint disorders. Dental hygiene is typically less well maintained in patients with nail-biting disorders, and teeth may become chipped or notched along with inflamed gingiva. Biting pressure may lead to small fractures at the edges of incisors, apical root resorption, alveolar destruction, or gingivitis ( Sachan and Chaturvedi, 2012 ). Also, continuous nonphysiological mechanical forces may lead to clinical dental crowding, rotations, or malocclusion.

Prevention and treatment

Treatment of nail biting involves a multidisciplinary team that provides psychosocial, psychiatric, dermatologic, and dental care. Initial care involves engaging the patient and parents. Subsequently, teachers and close acquaintances may be called upon to reinforce supportive behavior modification. The home atmosphere should be a sympathetic and loving environment for the child or adolescent, with continuous words of encouragement to boost self-confidence. Any siblings should be on board with the treatment plan and avoid laughing at the behavior ( Ghanizadeh and Shekoohi, 2011 ). In children, an assessment of disease severity is important before proceeding to formal intervention because the disease process of nail biting has a heavy psychosocial component. Children with mild nail-biting behavior typically outgrow the activity, seeing peers with healthier nail hygiene and wanting to fit in. Rushing to treat younger children can cause them to increase the behavior to seek more attention ( Tanaka et al., 2008 ).

Dermatologists may recommend a form of aversive therapy to patients by applying a distasteful coating over the nail to discourage patients from biting. This method has shown improvement in reducing impulsive nail-biting behavior; however, the method should be avoided for patients suffering from an underlying compulsive disorder ( Koritzky and Yechiam, 2011 ). In addition, olive oil has been shown to decrease biting behavior by making the nail feel softer without causing distress to the child ( Isaacs, 1935 ). Alternative topical products include 1% clindamycin, quaternary ammonium compounds, and 4% quinine suspended in petroleum ( Tosti and Piraccini, 2000 ). For patients suffering from severe nail dystrophy, using an adhesive bandage to cover the injured fingers and nail can help prevent further damage.

Prevention through nail hygiene remains key in avoiding nail infections and their sequelae. Nail grooming with trimmed nails and frequent manicures protect the nail and reduce satisfaction from nail biting. Preventing nail biting is important because the behavior may precipitate acute paronychia. Dermatologists involved in the care of the nail-biting patient should immediately treat acute paronychia with appropriate antibiotic drugs or warm compresses to halt disease progression and prevent abscess formation or osteomyelitis. However, acute paronychia may be secondary to viral and fungal infections as well. Cytology is a useful technique to determine the causative agent and appropriate management ( Durdu and Ruocco, 2014 ).

Another therapeutic approach is done by using cognitive behavioral therapy to address the intrusive behavior. Cognitive behavioral therapy is based on both the behavior and a cognitive model, and mechanistically works to limit maladaptive coping behaviors ( Rothbaum et al., 2000 ). Historically, a limited number of case reports describe the use of aversive hypnosis to effectively reduce chronic nail biting ( Leshan, 1942 ). Most recently, Bornstein et al. (1980) proposed a combination of hypnotherapy with behavioral modification to improve habitual nail biting and promote remission. Token economy is used to encourage positive behaviors through reinforcement with rewards ( Ivy et al, 2017 ).

Functional analysis therapy has shown utility by focusing on rewiring a habit and relying on the presumption that nail biting is learned behavior ( Dufrene et al., 2008 ). This type of therapy evaluates specific environments and situations that may be the stimulus for repetitive behavior, such as nail biting. For example, a researcher may evaluate a patient in multiple environments to determine the frequency of nail biting (e.g., conversation on nail biting vs. conversation void of nail biting). Dufrene et al. (2008) showed that functional analysis data may be used to formulate targeted treatment aimed at behavior reduction and eventual extinction.

On the other hand, habit reversal therapy (HRT; e.g., chewing gum rather than biting nails during impulsions) provides patients with a way to form awareness of the habit and alternative methods to cope ( Woods et al., 1999 ). HRT includes three components: Awareness training, competing response training (e.g., gum chewing rather than nail biting), and a social support system ( Magid et al., 2017 ). Twohig et al. (2003) reported a significant increase in nail length when using HRT compared with placebo.

Aversive therapy under the guidance of a professional may provide nail biting relief as well. Silber and Haynes (1992) compared the use of a competing response (e.g., clenching first for several minutes to produce discomforting tension) and the application of a bitter substance to the nails, showing a significant improvement in nail length with competing response group. This modality must be correctly used because shaming and punishment for nail biting is associated with adverse outcomes, potentiates the compulsion, and is not recommended as a treatment service line ( Tanaka et al., 2008 ). Aversive therapy can be a component of a three-step behavior modification technique known as stimulus control procedures ( Magid et al., 2017 ). The three steps involve removing environmental triggers (e.g., splintered cuticles), increasing the difficulty to bite nails (e.g., bandaging fingers), and removing positive reinforcements (e.g., adding aversive substance to the nails).

Pharmacotherapy is a second-line treatment for nail biting in children and adolescents. Fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), has been shown in several cases to treat onychophagia ( Velazquez et al., 2000 ). On the basis that chronic nail biting is within the OCD umbrella and specifically body-focused repetitive behavior, SSRIs have been proven to attenuate compulsions. Clinicians should be careful with prescribing other drugs within the SSRI family because studies show that this class of drugs can exacerbate impulse-related disorders ( Denys et al., 2003 ). Tricyclic antidepressant drugs, such as clomipramine, are also noted in several cases to provide relief ( Leonard et al., 1991 ). The antioxidant and glutamate modulator N-acetylcysteine has shown positive outcomes in the treatment of repetitive disorders, including onychophagia ( Ghanizadeh et al., 2013 , Sani et al., 2019 ). A randomized clinical trial by Ghanizadeh et al. (2013) showed a reduction in nail biting after treatment with 800 mg of N-acetylcysteine per day over a 1-month period in a cohort of children compared with placebo. The exact mechanism is unknown, but researchers speculate that a reduction of glutamate synaptic release may play a role in decreased nail biting.

Multidisciplinary care team

Annual follow-up visits with primary care physicians and dentists are recommended to identify early infection and allow for proper treatment ( Schneider and Peterson, 1982 ). Annual dentist visits are also encouraged to evaluate for gingival and dental pathologies and initiate early intervention. Dermatologists should remain involved in the care of patients suffering from persistent periungual infections and nail dystrophy. Infectious disease specialists may need to be consulted for antibiotic resistant infections. Patients with comorbid psychiatric illnesses may benefit from psychiatric visits with a mental health provider to explore therapeutic techniques.

Practical intervention pearls

Proper nail hygiene.

Proper nail hygiene is essential and includes keeping the nails trimmed and filed. Interestingly, allowing girls to have professionally manicured nails may keep adolescents engaged in not biting their nails secondary to positive cosmetic appeal ( Tanaka et al., 2008 ). Nail cosmetic products may act as both a treatment for nail biting and a method to mask severe nail dystrophy while the nail is healing ( Iorizzo et al., 2007 ).

Gum chewing

Gum chewing may be an effective alternative option to curb the compulsion to bite nails in socially stressful situations for an older child when other coping mechanisms cannot be utilized. This results in better oral hygiene and is ( Massler and Malone, 1950 ). Sorbitol-based gum rather than a sugared variety can help prevent caries ( Ly et al., 2008 ).

Books and social media

Books and social media can provide support and strategies. One great resource in addressing a child’s nail biting is using the interactive book titled What to Do When Bad Habits Take Hold by Dr. Huebner, 2008 . This book creates a unique and fun self-exploration in identifying bad habits, such as nail biting, to bring self-awareness, followed by tips and tricks to curb the habit. For children who prefer a more visual approach, an episode of the Bernstein Bears creatively addresses nail biting in a comfortable and enlightening episode and can be streamed for free on YouTube ( YouTube, 2014 ).

Reward system

Parents also can apply token economy to curb nail biting behavior. Creating a sticker chart for children and adding a sticker each day the child keeps nails free from biting damage keeps children motivated, knowing that a prize is available after multiple good days in a row (e.g., 2 weeks straight to begin with). Children with enuresis have successfully been treated using a similar strategy ( Ortiz and Garzon, 1978 ).

Mindfulness techniques

Bringing awareness to the habit can help create self-awareness and search for socially acceptable ways to cope with stress and anxiety. Cognitive therapy suggests that persons engage in alternative behavior to distract from intrusive impulsions, such as arts and crafts, sports, and musical instruments, to improve confidence and focus and reduce distress ( Massler and Malone, 1950 ). Furthermore, nail biting may be a source of transmission for viruses and bacteria (e.g., touching communal water fountain spigot and then transferring fingers to the mouth). The coronavirus that caused the coronavirus disease of 2019 was shown to remain on surfaces for up to 3 days ( van Doremalen et al., 2020 ). As a consequence, strong recommendations to avoid face touching would also apply to the recommendation to stop nail biting behavior.

Nail biting can be a chronic and debilitating habit that may continue into adulthood, and can be both a source and transmitter of disease. Although related to stress, the habit also can contribute to severe psychosocial distress. Knowing the appropriate preventative steps and treatment plans for children and adolescents can help prevent habit permanence. When considering that nail biting can transmit deadly disease, breaking this habit can be lifesaving.

Conflicts of Interest

Study approval.

The author(s) confirm that any aspect of the work covered in this manuscript that has involved human patients has been conducted with the ethical approval of all relevant bodies.

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Woods D.W., Murray L.K., Fuqua R.W., Seif T.A., Boyer L.J., Siah A. Comparing the effectiveness of similar and dissimilar competing responses in evaluating the habit reversal treatment for oral-digital habits in children. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 1999; 30 :289–300. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]

Onychophagia (Nail Biting)

Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff

Nail-biting can be a temporary, relatively non-destructive behavior that is merely a cosmetic concern, but it can also develop into a severe, long-term problem. Onychophagia, or onychophagy, is considered a pathological oral habit and grooming disorder characterized by chronic, seemingly uncontrollable nail-biting that is destructive to fingernails and the surrounding tissue.

Along with some other related behaviors such as lip biting or cheek chewing, onychophagia is classified in the DSM-5 as “ body-focused repetitive behavior disorder,” which falls under “Other Specified Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders.” Professional treatment, when necessary, focuses on both the physical and psychological factors involved in nail-biting.

Onychophagia, which often results in visible damage to fingernails, cuticles, and the surrounding skin, may occur on its own or may co-occur with other body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), such as hair pulling (trichotillomania) or skin picking (excoriation disorder). Symptoms of onychophagia are both psychological and physical. In addition to a compulsive urge to bite their nails, people who chronically bite their nails may experience:

distressful feelings of unease or tension prior to biting
feelings of relief or even pleasure after biting
feelings of shame, embarrassment , anxiety , or guilt , often related to the appearance of physical damage to skin and nails caused by biting
fear of others seeing one's nails or being disgusted by them
strained or complicated family and social relationships, either due to intentional social withdrawal or to others shaming or mocking the individual for the behavior
tissue damage to fingers, nails, and cuticles
mouth injuries, dental problems, abscesses, and infections

Nail-biting may occur without conscious notice or may be a focused behavior. It usually begins in early childhood and intensifies during adolescence . Although it may continue through adulthood, the behavior most often decreases with age; in many cases, it stops altogether in late adolescence or early adulthood.

Nail-biting itself is relatively common, but the line between “normal” and pathological nail-biting is not always clear. According to the DSM-5 , diagnosable “body-focused repetitive behavior disorder” (a category that includes onychophagia) triggers clinically significant distress, interferes with functioning in at least one important life domain, and is characterized by repeated, failed attempts to stop the behaviors. Thus, those who feel intense shame, guilt, or anxiety about their nail-biting, feel unable to stop, and find that it interferes with one or more areas of their life may benefit from seeking treatment.

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.

Serious or long-term damage from nail-biting is rare but possible. Fingernails themselves are resilient , and biting has been found to have little long-term effect on growth once the behavior has been stopped. Infections to the skin, stomach, or intestines pose the greatest long-term risk but are usually treatable. In some cases, nail-biting may lead to tooth damage (such as chipped teeth) that will require corrective care.

Nail-biting usually begins in childhood, typically after age 3 or 4. It is less common for children younger than 3 to bite their nails persistently. Nail-biting may also begin in adolescence; in very rare cases, an adult may start to bite their nails suddenly.

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.

There may be a genetic link to onychophagia; some people appear to have an inherited tendency toward developing BFRBs, as well as higher-than-average rates of mood and anxiety disorders in immediate family members. Nail-biting is frequently associated with anxiety, because the act of chewing on nails reportedly relieves stress, tension, or boredom . People who habitually bite their nails often report that they do so when they feel nervous, bored, lonely , or even hungry. Nail-biting can also be a habit transferred from earlier thumb or finger sucking. While nail-biting can occur without symptoms of another psychiatric condition, it can be associated with attention -deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ), oppositional defiant disorder, separation anxiety, enuresis, tic disorder, and other mental health issues.

Why some individuals bite their nails and others do not is not fully understood. Like other BFRBs, nail-biting appears to run in families to some degree, and may share neurological roots with OCD , anxiety, and other mental health disorders. Some researchers also speculate that nail-biting may partially stem from an overall tendency toward perfectionism in one’s personality , or from a desire to seek stimulation when bored or frustrated. Nail-biting that begins suddenly in adulthood may be the side effect of a medication .

Individuals who bite their nails report many different triggers for doing so. Some bite when anxious or stressed , for example, others bite when bored or understimulated, and still others bite when they’re mentally engrossed in another activity. Identifying one’s own triggers and establishing replacement behaviors is often a critical part of effective treatment.

Old-fashioned remedies specifically designed to prevent nail biting, such as applying bitter-tasting products to the nails, work for some nail-biters—especially those whose habit is less severe—but are usually less effective for those with persistent, compulsive onychophagia. Barrier-type interventions that block contact between the mouth and nails, such as gloves, mittens, socks, and retainer-style or bite-plate devices may be more effective because they both serve as impediments to biting and as physical reminders not to bite. However, they may be challenging to use consistently or over the long term.

In more severe cases of onychophagia, professional treatment can be helpful, especially if it focuses on identifying triggers and managing the emotional factors associated with nail biting. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)—often combined with habit-reversal training and/or progressive muscle relaxation—and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) have been shown to be beneficial in some cases of BFRBs. Any successful treatment of onychophagia requires the permission and cooperation of the child or adult who is biting their nails, along with positive reinforcement and routine follow-ups.

Yes. Therapy, especially CBT or ACT, can help someone identify and manage the repetitive thoughts or emotional triggers that drive nail-biting. A specific form of therapy known as habit reversal training ( HRT ) focuses on becoming aware of one’s biting triggers, identifying replacement behaviors (such as balling one’s fists or squeezing a stress ball), and cultivating social support. HRT has been shown to be highly effective in treating BFRBs, especially in the short-term—over the long-term, more comprehensive approaches that include a cognitive-behavioral element are typically most effective.

Medications are not often used for nail-biting, though some patients prescribed SSRIs for anxiety and depression find that the medication reduces their nail-biting somewhat. Some small studies suggest that N-acetylcysteine, a supplement also being investigated for trichotillomania and excoriation disorder, is more effective at reducing nail-biting behaviors than a placebo , though more research is likely needed.

Hiding one's nails or making them unpleasant to bite—by cutting them short, painting them with bitter-tasting polish, or wearing gloves or mittens—can make it more difficult to engage in the behavior. It’s also helpful to identify one’s “trigger”—the emotion or situation that makes someone most prone to biting—and developing coping mechanisms that replace nail-biting with a healthier alternative. For example, someone who bites while bored could play with a fidget toy in situations where they’re likely to be bored; someone who bites when anxious could squeeze a stress ball or engage in a brief relaxation exercise instead of biting.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, highlight reel: most impressive college sports feats.

Is anyone else fascinated by those insane sports moments that happen in college? I'm talking about those moments that make you say 'Wow, that's one for the books'. Can anyone share info on some of the most impressive sports records or feats in college history? Just curious. Thanks in advance!

Absolutely, I'm a sports enthusiast too and I love those nail-biting moments. College sports have been witness to some incredible feats. Let me share some noteworthy ones:

First is UCLA's men's basketball team. They have the record for the longest winning streak in Division I history. From 1971 to 1974, the team won an incredible 88 consecutive games. That's a record to this date.

Then we have Ricky Williams, the legendary running back from the University of Texas. In the 1998 season alone, he ran for over 2,000 yards and then finished his college career with a total of 6,279 rushing yards, an NCAA record at the time.

Moving on to swimming, we can't miss mentioning Katie Ledecky when talking about college sports feats. During her time at Stanford University, she broke several NCAA records and won multiple NCAA Championship titles.

In baseball, Robin Ventura, who played for Oklahoma State, holds the record for a 58-game hitting streak, which is considered one of the greatest feats in college baseball.

Lastly, in 2007, the University of Florida became the first school to hold the NCAA football (BCS National Championship) and basketball (NCAA Championship) titles in the same academic year. A remarkable feat for any college athletic program.

It's always exciting to look back on these impressive feats and I'm sure there will be many more in future college sports!

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Texas jumps Georgia in AP poll, ranked No. 1 for 1st time since 2008

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns are the top-ranked team in college football for the first time in 16 years.

Buoyed by a 56-7 win over UTSA and Georgia’s 13-12 nail-biting victory over Kentucky, the Longhorns leaped the Bulldogs in the new rankings released Sunday by the Associated Press . Texas received 35 first-place votes and 1,540 points in the poll while the Bulldogs received 23 first-place votes and 1,518 points. Ohio State, Alabama and Mississippi rounded out the top five.

Instant Analysis: Manning dazzles filling in for Ewers in big win over UTSA

The last time the Longhorns were at the top of the poll was in the middle of the 2008 season. They later fell from the perch at the hands of Texas Tech in a 39-33 barn-burner in Lubbock. Michael Crabtree caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Graham Harrell with 0:01 left to lift the Red Raiders over the Longhorns.

Tennessee, Missouri, Miami (Fla.), Oregon and Penn State were the next five, making 60% of the top 10 teams from the Southeastern Conference.

There wasn’t a ton of movement in the poll with Miami moving up two spots and Penn State down two. Northern Illinois also moved up two spots to No. 23. Texas A&M moved back into the poll at No. 25 with a 33-20 win over Florida.

Texas is behind Georgia at No. 2 in the USA Today coaches poll.

Texas (3-0) faces Louisiana-Monroe in its final nonconference game at 7 p.m. Saturday, and they’ll likely do so with Arch Manning taking the snaps as Quinn Ewers recovers from an abdominal strain he suffered against UTSA.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.

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COMMENTS

Nail Biting: How I Cope with the Realities of the World
Perfection. Boredom. Anxiety. There is probably a subconscious reason for my nail biting, but the origin of this habit has been lost with the years of my childhood. Regardless, it reflects my consistency as a person and my devotion to familiarity. My gnawed fingers do not consume me; rather, I consume the realities of the world through my fingers.
Nail Biting: Mental Disorder Or Just A Bad Habit?
We nail biters can be "pathological groomers" — people for whom normal grooming behaviors, like skin picking or hair pulling, have become virtually uncontrollable. But psychiatry is changing the ...
Art of Prevention: The importance of tackling the nail biting habit
The current literature estimates the prevalence of nail biting at 20% to 30% of the general population (Halteh et al., 2017, Pacan et al., 2014).Nail biting is more prevalent in children, with one study noting a 37% prevalence among individuals age 3 to 21 years (Winebrake et al., 2018) Fig. 1.Leung and Robson (1990) describe a downward trend in prevalence as affected individuals reach ...
The Psychology Behind Nail Biting
Nail biting and young people Nail biting is prevalent in children and adolescents. It occurs in 20-33% of children and nearly half of teenagers --a whopping 45% (Siddiqui et al., 2020).
Psychologist explains the scientific reason why people turn to biting
The 'crunching' sensation of biting fingernails is one of the biggest reasons why people maintain the habit as it can "trigger the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, which are ...
Quitting nail biting in 2020: a medical, literary, and cultural history
NBC. Nail-biting is a body-focused repetitive behavior, in the same family as hair-pulling, skin-picking, and cheek-chewing. As with all such behaviors, it can be triggered by stress or anxiety ...
Essay On Nail Biting
1298 Words6 Pages. The behavior that I chose to doing without and give up is nail biting and this habit is identified with nurture. Fundamentally nail biting is a habit wherein a man for the most part bites his fingernails or toenails. A man may take part in this habit for different reasons like boredom, nervousness, anxiety, push, or much ...
How biting your nails is affecting your health
Dental problems such as misalignment and chipped teeth. Fungal infections in the nail bed. Illness, as fingers pass bacteria to your mouth. Mouth issues, including jaw pain and soft tissue injuries. Skin infections. Tissue damage to fingers, nails and cuticles. The good news is that long-term damage from nail biting is rare.
The Biting Nails Habit: Behavior Modification Research Paper
Trim your nails: keeping your nails short and regularly filing them could help you to stop biting them since there will not be much surface to bite. Whenever you find yourself starting to bite your nails, stop and trim them then file the ragged parts away neatly and you will find yourself stopping the habit soon enough. Step V.
Nail Biting; Etiology, Consequences and Management
Introduction. Nail biting (NB) has been a less-published area in the literature of both of psychiatry and dermatology. 1, 2 Medicine, psychology and dentistry have been unable to resolve the problem of NB. 3 While individuals who practice NB usually like to stop it, their efforts to put an end to it have failed. The parents of a sizable number of children, whom are referred to clinics for the ...
Nail Biting Essay Examples
Protopopova et al. (2016) focused on effective and automated reinforcement of behavior modification. The research investigated the best application of the positive reinforcement approach to curb nail-biting behavior among a group of 22-year-old individuals. In alignment with the scholarly Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis, this paper ...
Nail Biting
GradeSaver provides access to 2365 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 11012 literature essays, 2781 sample college application essays, 926 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, "Members Only" section of the site!
How to Stop Biting Your Nails
Eating a carrot. Clipping or filing your nails instead. 4. Use visual reminders. If you keep your nails clipped short, then there is less temptation to bite them. Some people recommend having a ...
5 Tips on How To Stop Nail Biting
Self-care — like regular meals, more movement and ample sleep — helps you feel calmer, more confident and resilient, giving you the strength to recover. Nail biting satisfies a strong urge, so ...
Why Do I Bite My Nails and How Can I Stop?
While nail biting is a common problem, it can be caused by several factors that range from genetics to stress and anxiety. Although the behavior may seem simple to stop, many individuals who have attempted to break the habit have not succeeded. Instead, they experience unsightly nails, soreness around the nails, and risk damage to the skin ...
Using Habit Reversal to Exterminate Nail Biting in College Student
Psychology of Behavior Modification. Abstract. In this study, habit reversal was used to treat nail and skin biting and picking in a female college student using a reversal design and self-assessment. The intervention consisted of the participant engaging in three personally selected activities to reverse the feeling of frustration and boredom.
How to stop biting your nails
To help you stop biting your nails, dermatologists recommend the following tips: Keep your nails trimmed short. Having less nail provides less to bite and is less tempting. Apply bitter-tasting nail polish to your nails. Available over-the-counter, this safe, but awful-tasting formula discourages many people from biting their nails.
Art of Prevention: The importance of tackling the nail biting habit
Prevalence and etiology. The current literature estimates the prevalence of nail biting at 20% to 30% of the general population (Halteh et al., 2017, Pacan et al., 2014).Nail biting is more prevalent in children, with one study noting a 37% prevalence among individuals age 3 to 21 years (Winebrake et al., 2018) Fig. 1.Leung and Robson (1990) describe a downward trend in prevalence as affected ...
Onychophagia (Nail Biting)
Symptoms of onychophagia are both psychological and physical. In addition to a compulsive urge to bite their nails, people who chronically bite their nails may experience: distressful feelings of ...
Nail-biting among college students.
A questionnaire administered to more than 1,000 college students revealed that 52% of the men and 54% of the women had bitten nails at some time. 29% of the men and 19% of the women were still nail-biters. Social disapproval caused both sexes to give up the habit, but women were more influenced by the value of well-kept nails. Samples of 54 present biters and 54 who had never bitten nails were ...
Highlight Reel: Most Impressive College Sports Feats?
Absolutely, I'm a sports enthusiast too and I love those nail-biting moments. College sports have been witness to some incredible feats. Let me share some noteworthy ones: First is UCLA's men's basketball team. They have the record for the longest winning streak in Division I history. From 1971 to 1974, the team won an incredible 88 consecutive games.
Texas jumps Georgia in AP poll, ranked No. 1 for 1st time since 2008
Buoyed by a 56-7 win over UTSA and Georgia's 13-12 nail-biting victory over Kentucky, the Longhorns leaped the Bulldogs in the new rankings released Sunday by the Associated Press. Texas received ...

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