chronic onychophagia

I bite my nails as well. I've been at it since I was five and and I'm 13. People at school always don't want to hold my hand in a gym excercise, and I'm not nervous. My dad even said that it means I'm mentally ill! The only thing that stops it is chewing large ammounts of gum and clear nail polish( until I pick it off). I can't use nail polish in school and I can't chew gum, what do I do to help during the most stressful time of my life with High School Entrance Exams!?

What do you put on those fingers that do not have nails? a bandaid? or ? I put a fake nail but sometimes it doesn't stay on more than a few days. I'm putting glue on the puffy center part of the area that used to have a nail but it now only red and puffy.
I am so happy to have found this site. I was looking for something to put on my finger that might help grow a new nail; but, I do not think that is possible because there is nothing of a nail for anything to grow.
So, what do you put on those fingers without nails?

Just like everyone else, I have been biting my nails since I can remember. I haven't lost nails yet, but have 2 that I work on constantly. My problem is not the nail itself, but the skin around the nail. I pick at them, dig in them, and bite on them whenever. I have tried to figure out just when I do this most, but it is too much to remember. It's weird because I don't do it to all fingers just two (right pointer and right middle). The nail on the pointer is not gone, but disfigured to the point where acrylic nails have to be altered to place on there. What's really odd is that the picking and biting hurts but feels good at the same time. Even when I get the fake nails, the process hurts but feels good and I have found myself getting them put on after causing the pain. I would love to know where to start, but I guess this is a start for most of us.

Your friend is correct. I've been doing my own research after I was finally disgusted with myself long enough to realize that it's time for me to change. However, after researching, I've found that:

1. You're not crazy, mentally-ill or otherwise.
2. It doesn't matter how "strong-willed" you are -- some people are able to over-come it, but here's why a lot of us aren't:

3. It's a medical issue called onychophagia.

A lot of research suggests it's genetic (which would explain the multiple posts people have said about their fathers, mothers, and grandparents having the same nail-biting problem.)

This condition is also heavily related to trichotillomania (hair pulling) and chronic skin-picking. I can attest to those myself -- more the hair pulling than anything. I actually used to pluck my eyelashes out when I was really young (ouch, I know), but managed to stop at age 12 or so when my mother threatened me with medicine (I was afraid of swallowing pills.)

However, I'm a firm believer that one condition just transferred to another -- the hair pulling transferred to my chronic nail-biting, and since nail-biting is deemed as a somewhat more socially acceptable "bad habit," it took off and I haven't been able to stop since. I'm 26 now.

I've made an appointment with a medical doctor. A lot of what I've read online is that they'll recommend some forms of anti-depressants since research is beginning to show that this is a chemical thing and it could be related to low levels of serotonin.

Also, taking the B-vitamin inositol is heavily recommended from several online sources, too. I haven't tried it yet myself, but I plan on it. This vitamin also raises serotonin levels.

Good luck and please know that you're not crazy and you're not weak-willed. There are a number of people out there with this and new research is finding that it's a close cousin of the other two OCD conditions (hair pulling and skin picking).

I have always liked short nails. I don't bite my nails but I use a nail clipper instead. My nails are about 2 or 3 mm long. Regular skin, nail bed, and then the nail. New Skin comes in handy when cutting the nails down. Once the nail is short you just maintain the length.

I too have tried the acrylics nail deterrent & varnishes to no avail! I'm 21 and female and I have bitten my nails and the skin around my nails for as long as I can remember, my fingers a now red and swollen at the tips and always peeling with skin occasionally bleeding. I asked the doctor for some advice they said stop it its self mutilation!!! It's not easy to stop though and it's like they think you're aware your doing it constantly. I normally don't realise I'm doing it til it bleeds :-(

31 y o Nailbiter, never gonna quit! :-D

no cure. same prob since young child. I am 39 now and find it very embarassing, especially being a woman. Was prescribed anti depressants but didnt help. Think we must have to suffer in silence.

My story is the same, although I've been on an anti-depressant for 8 years, and my biting/picking is no better.  I've also been sober for 10 years.  I can quit drinking and smoking, but I can't quit this!  About 4 years ago my glue-on nail glue infected one of my fingers so bad that the nail peeled off in layers until it was down to the nail bed (skin).  I constantly pick at and bite that one.  For 4 years I have not allowed it to grow.  Last August I got another nail-glue infection on the pinky.  Same thing.  Now I have 2 nails down to the cuticle, which are trying to grow/heal, but I keep picking at them.  At least they are the ring and pinky so I can hide them fairly well.  The other eight- well, I just keep biting at those as soon as a bit of white growth appears.  

I thought I was the only person who bit their nails constantly.  I always see other people and their nails usually look great.  I have lost track of how long I have bitten my nails and cuticles.  In 2011 I was diagnosed with PTSD (in military) and that is where most of my problems surfaced.  I am currently in a abnormal psychology class and just read about some of these disorders that I thought was normal.  I excessively itch (I have scratched until I bled before, but rarely) and tend to pull my hair when I am concentrating, studying, or trying to relax.  I bite my nails (fingers and toes) sometimes until they bleed, but I bite them everyday.  I notice I bite my fingers more while I am driving in my car.  I have tried to stop, but never lasted more than a few months.  When I was able to stop for those months I was always filling and nail clipping them (every night).  Sometimes I feel like people are watching me.  Especially at night in my house.  I always hear noises that keep me on edge.  Sometimes I will even turn around and before I can look I get a feeling of my hair standing up (even though nothing is there).  I feel stressed because I bit and I bit because I am stressed (know what I mean?).  If anyone had any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.  I am 28 years old and I don't know what to do to help myself.  I feel disgusting, but cannot stop.

I'm 23 and I'm dealing with same thing... it's really horrible. While I don't necessarily bite my nails, I pick at them, often lightly forcing thin edged things to press from underneath the nail. Yeah... it sounds as screwed up as it is, but I don't destroy them. However, another 10 years of doing this and I'll have lost my pinky and ring fingernails (these are by far the worst). Any abnormally triggers it, so I have to keep my nails stupidly short. I know the pain so freaking well... I'm gonna try and figure out some new ways to stop it. Good luck!

Hi Stowers, boy do I feel your pain. I can't remember a time when I resort to this habit in times of stress and boredom and I am almost 50. Can you imagine quiting smoking if you had ten lit cigarettes at the end of your fingers. I just read an article that says it could be the result of a faulty gene that doesn't stop an ancient grooming behaviour from taking over, like my neighbour's confined bird that grooms itself until its bald. I have just tried a gel nail kit, unfortunately, I bought it just before my apartment half-burned to the ground and I didn't get over the anxiety of trying something new until the warranty was up an the thing was broken and doesn't work (thanks for nothing Orly). The only thing that is stopping me right now is that my mom survived lung cancer and this is the one thing I can give her.  Please don't try smoking to substitute the habit. My heart goes out to all of the people who replied to this post.  Good luck and hopefully knowledge shared on the internet will stop people from using humiliation because it only adds to the burden.

I'm a guy over 40, a professional  family man, whose been a really severe nail biter my whole life.    I was a normal active kid but so into nail biting that I  bit my toenails too.  It annoyed my mother while my Dad insisted I would outgrow it.  As an adult I tried and tried to stem the habit, even seeking out hypnotherapy which was ineffective.  It's a paradox for me.  If I try not to bite my nails, I feel repressed and self-conscious.  If I let nature takes its course and eat my nails spontaneously when the urge comes, I feel healthy, happy, and productive.  My hands look tacky  and I sometimes experience minor humilitation when people  notice my nails or see me gnawing at them but that no longer bothers me.  

I've taken an anthropological look at the subject.  Some members of our species have always bitten their nails since we evolved.  Our cerebral and nervous systems are too complicated to isolate specific causes as to why some are natural nail biters but most our not.   It's more a minor nuisance than serious medical issue.   It raises sanitary issues but I doubt that great plagues of history were spread because people ate their nails.   It looks ugly and certain segments of the population will always disdain it.  However, a certain percentage of the general population will always be nail biters. 

Stowers and to everyone who responded, here's my grain of salt which may not be worth anything but it's worth a mention. My grandson (12) was biting his fingernails and toenails badly. A few months ago, he got braces. Of course, can't bite fingernails (or toenails) anymore. The braces will stay on for at least 1 to 1 1/2 years so we're hoping that, by then, he'll have gotten out of the habit. I know that you can't all rush to get braces but if you have something in your mouth at all times (like gum) could it help? They also sell a kind of ''teeth guard'' for people who grind their teeth during sleep, I wore that for a while and believe me, no nail biting is possible with that contraption in your mouth. By nature, nail (and tow) biting is probably done when you're alone so the trick would be to wear that contraption as soon as you find yourself alone.

how can you not bite your nails for 6 months, the most I have done is 1 or 2 days. I really need help, I'm only 14 and I too bite my nails. I've been biting them ever since I can remember. I have tried everything, like putting on the disgusting stuff on the remains of my 'nails', to the rubber band thing ( and man did that hurt). I NEED HELP, before it's to late