Nail biting can become a serious problem for some people, causing injury to fingers. The habit can start in childhood or during puberty, and may be driven by stress or hormones. Experts are unsure why it develops, but some theories suggest it may be instinctive or related to OCD. Treatment options include taking better care of nails, using coatings with unpleasant tastes, or taking medication for OCD.
Nail biting is simply the technical name doctors use to describe habitual nail biting. Many people have this habit but for most of them it never turns into a serious problem. Some people with a tendency to chew their nails will actually start to injure their fingers by doing it too much. These people may not even realize they are hurting themselves until they have already, and some of them eventually decide to seek psychiatric help for their nail biting.
People usually start biting their nails in early childhood or during puberty. Some experts think that people who start doing it as teenagers are somehow driven by hormones, probably by stress. Once the habit develops, it can persist for a long time, and some people stick with it for life.
Experts aren’t 100% sure why nail biting develops, but there are theories. For example, some people think it’s instinctive. This is because sometimes the behavior is also seen in animals. Many experts think this is because animals have a faulty gene that makes them want to comb their hair all the time, and there are some who believe that people with nail biting simply show symptoms of a similar genetic defect. There are theories that this same tendency may also be somehow involved in the mechanism behind OCD on a psychological level.
People often unconsciously bite their nails when they’re nervous or stressed, and they may do it excessively, but usually nothing serious happens. These people usually don’t mind getting any real treatment for their nail biting and could go through life with less attractive nails, but that’s the only real consequence for them.
In other cases, the habit can be a much more serious problem. Some people with a nail biting habit also suffer from uncontrollable compulsions and may spend hours chewing on their fingertips in an attempt to change the look or feel of their nails. Over time, these people can literally tear wounds on their fingers or cause blisters around their fingertips.
There are many methods to treat nail biting and experts suggest that some of them work very well. One of the simplest approaches is often to urge patients to take better care of their nails. For example, some people start painting their nails or even getting manicures. This makes people aware of keeping their nails attractive and often train themselves to stop biting without further assistance. Others use the coatings to give their fingers an unpleasant taste, and some who have more serious problems may take OCD medication.
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