We are all exposed to stress at times, and we all develop coping mechanisms. Some, like jogging or talking about it, are healthy. Others, like comfort eating and emotional withdrawal, are unhealthy. Nail biting, hair pulling, and skin picking are stress-related behaviors that can easily become chronic and do a lot of damage.
Nail Biting Or Onychophagia
Have you ever bitten your nails, cuticles, or the skin surrounding your nails when you were stressed, nervous, excited or just bored? All of these behaviors fall until nail biting, which is medically known as onychophagia. Onychophagia is the single most common nervous behavior. It affects people of all ages, and many of them aren't even aware they are doing it as they bite their nails to stumps.
Do you bite your nails, or does someone in your immediate family? It can get so bad that the biter's whole hands look like they've seen battle (and that's not far off!). In severe cases, onychophagia permanently affects the nails' regrowth and even causes deformations. Injured cuticles also let infections through really easier, all the more so because biting them will give your cuticles constant contact with your saliva.
Nail biters or the parents of nail biters often receive advice from others on how to break the habit. Placing a substance the biter finds repulsive onto the nail surface is a common suggestion for nail-biting children. Mustard or chilly sauce are examples of things that might be used.
Adults might receive the advice to keep their nails trimmed at all times — because that way, there is nothing left to bite off. They may also be encouraged to use anti-nail biting nail polish, a treatment that is essentially identical to placing a disgusting substance on the nails. Another tip for women is to try gel or acrylic nails, which are harder to bite.
One less-known method to stop nail-biting involves practicing mindfulness and meditation. These techniques help increase awareness of the action, allowing you to consciously stop. Additionally, wearing gloves or adhesive bandages on fingertips can act as a physical barrier. Keeping a journal to track triggers and patterns of nail-biting can also be insightful. Aromatherapy, using scents like lavender or peppermint, can provide a calming effect and reduce the urge to bite nails.
These suggestions can be helpful for beginning nail biters, but really determined sufferers will bite no matter what is on their nails or how long they are. I just mentioned that onychophagia appears on the DSM-5 as a legitimate disorder. That's good news, because it means behavioral therapy can help you get rid of your nasty and dangerous habit.
Read More: Habit disorders: How to prevent and treat nail biting
Look into a therapy called Habit Reversal Training if you are a chronic biter and your habit is affecting your health negatively. If you think you're a mild case, you can try the "disgusting nails" treatment or try gel nails first.
Hair Pulling And Skin Picking
Trichotillomania
Compulsive hair pulling is called trichotillomania that is, like nail biting, classified as an impulse control disorder. The most well-known form of trichotillomania involves pulling hairs from the scalp, often from the same patch over and over again. This might happen during times of stress, but also as a simple matter of routine. Some sufferers pull only in private, but others do it in public and may not even realize they are doing it.
Trichotillomania sufferers may pull any hairs on their body — not just the scalp, but also the armpits, pubic area, eyelashes, eyebrows, legs or arms.
They may stick to one specific area, or pull hairs in multiple areas. It is no surprise that compulsive and frequent hair pulling can cause bald spots. It may also lead to bleeding, pain and infections depending on the severity.
The Trichotillomania Learning Center reports preliminary evidence that suggests trichotillomania is a neuro-biological disorder that may well have a genetic component. As such, the Center is unsure that the disorder's current place in the DSM is appropriate.
To combat hair pulling, a less-known method is using sensory substitutes, like textured keychains or rubber bands, to redirect the tactile urge to pull. Habit-awareness training, where you consciously recognize and modify the behavior, can be effective. Creating barriers, like wearing hats or bandanas, can limit access to hair. Also, engaging in activities that keep both hands busy, like knitting or doodling, can reduce the likelihood of hair pulling.
However you would classify trichotillomania, there are treatment options. The Habit Reversal Therapy we mentioned for nail biting might well be effective for you too, if you suffer from compulsive hair pulling. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are used to treat various mental health conditions including depression, have also shown some promise — either in combination with cognitive therapy or alone.
Skin Picking Disorder
Skin picking is without a doubt the least known and understood nervous behavior that we are discussing today. Everyone knows what nail biting is, and a good few people have heard about compulsive hair pulling. But skin picking? It's a more obscure disorder that can have far-reaching consequences.
People who suffer from skin picking disorder may repetitively and compulsively pick at, scratch, rub, or dig into certain areas of their skin. Skin picking may develop as a stress-relieving behavior in much the same way as nail picking, it could start occurring for no apparent reason, or the person may perceive some kind of imperfection on their skin and attempt to remove it by picking or scratching.
What happens if a person constantly damages the same area of skin? Clearly, the disorder can lead to bleeding, scabs, and itching (which reinforces the picking!) — and in the long term, scarring and skin discoloration.
The DSM-5 is the first version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to include skin picking disorder. It appears in the chapter related to obsessive-compulsive disorders, where you will also find hair pulling and nail biting.
Read More: Seven Bad Habits That Are Actually Good For Your Health
What's the treatment? Currently, the approach taken toward skin picking disorder is essentially the same as the approach used with trichotillomania. Stimulus Control is another possible option. This aims to remove the triggers that generally make the sufferer start picking. Some people find covering the area of skin they tend to pick useful. This ensures it is impossible to see the area — which is important to some sufferers — but it also makes access more difficult.
Some skin pickers are triggered by seeing the relevant area in the mirror, especially if the face is involved. In that case, a physical reminder could help the person stay away from the mirror. This can be a post-it note saying "no mirrors!", or something more discreet like a pebble on your desk.
Sources & Links
- Photo courtesy of Alice Carrier by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/land_camera/3883933458/
- Photo courtesy of Helga Weber by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/helga/3982668517/