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.
Nail biting explained
Anxiety: Nail biting can be a sign of anxiety or stress. The repetitive behavior seems to help some people cope with challenging emotions. Boredom: Behaviors such as nail biting and hair twirling are more common when you're bored, hungry, or need to keep your hands busy.
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.
It's especially common in children, occurring in up to 33% of 7- to 10-year-olds and up to 45% of adolescents. In some cases, nail biting can be caused by an underlying mental health condition. For example, chronic nail biting may be a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
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.
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).
Famous superstars Tom Cruise, Eva Mendes, Elijah Wood, Britney Spears, Phil Collins and Andy Roddick are all celebrity nail chewers, among others.
A good way to stop yourself from biting your nails is to engage in something else with your hands or mouth to channel that energy into some other behavior — you may, for instance, want to try keeping your hands busy by playing with something like sandpaper, which can provide the sensory stimulation you're looking for, ...
What is onychophagia? Onychophagia is the clinical name for fingernail biting. It is a common stress-related or nervous habit in children and adults. It involves biting off the nail plate, and sometimes the soft tissues of the nail bed and the cuticle as well.
Mental health conditions associated with nail biting can involve severe emotional distress, depression, and anxiety.
Recommended. Symptom: You feel stressed when objects are out of place. It's really hard for you to leave home until you've arranged things in a certain way. Symptom: When you're thinking of something completely different, you have thoughts about hurting yourself or someone else.
Biting Nails
This habit indicates nerves or insecurity. Whether this means they are nervous about talking to you or just in general, this can be a telling body language cue. It can show that you might be making them nervous (which can be a good or bad thing).
Your nails are making you sick
“Pathogens which transfer from your nails to the mouth during nail biting can lead to illness,” says Dr. Condello. A buildup of bacteria in your mouth can become more serious over time and cause other ailments such as infections in your stomach.
The rate of nail-biting in USA preschool children, aged 3 to 6 years, has been as 23% [8]. In an epidemiological study on 4590 school children in India, the rate of NB was reported as 12.7% [9]. A review article reported that up to 33% of children aged 7 to 10 years and 45% of adolescents are nail biters [10].
And repeatedly biting your nails can cause some short-term issues to develop, including: Dental problems such as misalignment and chipped teeth. Fungal infections in the nail bed. Illness, as fingers pass bacteria to your mouth.
Nail biting almost always begins in childhood. It's a behavior often associated with stress or anxiety, but it's likely more complicated than that.
Behavioral therapy
Therapy can help release the shame and negative emotions that often accompany nail biting. It can also help increase awareness of your triggers and urges. In some cases, habit-reversal training or hypnotherapy are effective.
Nail-biting (onychophagia) is a common stress-relieving habit. You may bite your nails in times of stress or excitement, or in times of boredom or inactivity. It can also be a learned behaviour from family members.
Suga's habit is biting his nails. He calls himself a genius, and “Scarface” is the movie that describes him.
Diana Armstrong, who had not cut her nails since 1997. When her daughter Latisha passed away unexpectedly from an asthma attack, Diana promised she would never cut her nails again. Diana Armstrong's late daughter had last done her nails.
Once you've managed to stop biting your nails, one of the questions often asked is whether bitten nails can grow back to normal. The bad news is that although fairly uncommon, nail biting can lead to permanently damaged nails. You can cause permanent damage to your nails by biting them over a long period of time.
By putting your nails into your mouth, you're carrying germs for a variety of illnesses that range from the common cold to salmonella infection. You can also develop an infection in the skin around your nails or under a nailbed itself.